Everlasting Fire
by MP36PH3S
Summary: The legends of their exploits resonate across time; of how they fought armies, defeated tyrants, and changed their worlds. But as formidable as they are, none of them are perfect. Now they've been brought together for a fourth time, their ranks growing ever larger, both in hopes...of what? A few fighters discover their personal answer to this question. A collab with Flying Chariot.
1. The Invitation

**Author's Note: While a large portion of this story will take place in _SSB4_ , the remainder will taken place in either the world of _Awakening_ or Classic _Mega Man_ , so this may be moved to the crossover bin or I may split the story into two.**

 **Special thank you to Flying Chariot for graciously agreeing to collaborate with me on this story! While I'm at it, I would also highly recommend that you check her writing out! I have not brought this idea to their attention, but I would also like to thank those _Fire Emblem_ authors whose works I have reviewed and read for both being an inspiration and a model for my own writing. And to Youtuber mattyburrito MB for the thumbnail.**

 **Just to get this out of the way...If you are wondering about pairings for this story, the only one that I will set is ChromxSumia. Otherwise, consider my word on pairings as nothing...for now. If any additional pairings do occur, they'll be relevant, but the story will not be dependent on them.**

 **Oh, and the Avatar here is the default male.**

 _ **Fire Emblem: Awakening**_ **and all associated characters are** **property of Intelligent Systems, _Mega Man_ and its characters are property of Capcom, and _Super Smash Brothers_ is property of Nintendo and the based Masahiro Sakurai.**

* * *

 **Ylisstol Palace, Halidom of Ylisse**

It was done. The Mad King Gangrel had fallen, and the Plegian occupiers had surrendered upon news of his defeat.

Yet the victory was a pyrrhic one. At the forefront of the casualty list on the Ylissean side was none other than the Exalt herself. Her sacrifice had been the key to victory. Mere minutes after witnessing her fall, Plegian soldiers had started to lose their resolve, and once Chrom and the Shepherds broke through Mustafa's troops without ending a single Plegian life, the soldiers had begun to desert in earnest, seeking asylum with the Ylissean forces.

In an act of mercy, Chrom's first order of business as the new Exalt had been to not only allow every last Plegian deserter to serve under him if they so desired with no background check whatsoever, but also grant them political asylum should Gangrel or any future ruler of Plegia ask for their heads. His decision had reaped massive dividends: the Ylissean army had more than doubled in size with the number of Plegians swelling its ranks. In the end, Gangrel's cruelty had been his undoing, leaving him with only a few soldiers that bowed to him only out of fear and a foe impassioned by vengeance. Even that hag Aversa had fled his side.

 _"A fitting end for such a vile man_ , _though I fear the future may not have been averted yet. I stalled Emmeryn's death, but was not able to prevent it. It seems the river of time always favors its original course, and now that destiny has been altered, I am as blind as all the others to what may lie on the horizon. I should keep a close eye on Father. Whatever may come to pass, he is the key to averting Grima's resurrection._ _"_

From the base of the palace wall, at the edge of the pine forest surrounding it, the woman known as Marth to the Shepherds observed the group leading the remainder of the Ylissean army in triumph. All of Ylisstol was eagerly awaiting the victors' return, and the crowning of the new Exalt, which had been set for the same day. It seemed rather reckless to her to remain exposed for so long in one day, but she knew he had the trust of the people to regain. Even Emmeryn's sacrifice was not enough to restore all confidence in the crown; that would require a prolonged period of competent leadership. She was confident that her father was up to the task: he had been as popular, if not more, than his sister, from what she had heard. And despite being rather dull and clumsy at times, he had an intuition for knowing what those around him needed, a tool that she knew would serve him well. It had in her future, just...not when it mattered.

Abruptly a wave of longing washed over the princess. She lay back on the grass and stared up at the blue sky above, dotted with white clouds that caught the glow of the afternoon sun, and waited for it to pass. Distracting herself by marveling at the nature of this untarnished world had become a habit of hers as the temptation to reveal herself had become stronger over the months. She dearly missed both of her parents, and even if the Chrom and Sumia of this world were years away from conceiving their first child in this timeline, they were as close as she had to her parents.

But she couldn't. Her cobalt hair would instantly mark her as a member of the royal family were she to try to watch the ceremony from amongst the crowds in Ylisstol, and that would raise a lot of awkward question for her father, questions he himself didn't know the full answers to or have a cover story for. The tactician - Robin, his name was? - might be able to come up with something, but the potential backlash was not worth her selfish desire to see her parents. Besides, Chrom was surrounded by loyal citizens and the Shepherds, and the priest that was supposed to perform the crowning had done the same for both Emmeryn and the Exalt before her. There was no need to get unnecessarily close on this day.

She had already staked out a cave to reside in, and already worked out the areas that were least-guarded, both from studying the designs of the palace and firsthand experience during the attempted assassination of Emmeryn. The Captain of the Guard already knew she could be trusted, and had adjusted the positioning of guards to address those weak spots. But she could never be too careful. Lucina had already worked out a daily patrol route around the palace perimeter that would ensure as many angles as possible were covered at once. It would be hard, living within sight, maybe even earshot, of her parents and having to stay hidden...she shook her head and took a drink from a canteen at her side, hoping the water would clear her mind. Those thoughts were unusually persistent today. Maybe it was just the fact that Ylisse was finally at peace.

She didn't have much money, so doing any spying or scouting for the other gemstones of the Fire Emblem would have to wait, and besides, that might cause a political incident were she caught. It would be two years before Valm launched its invasion of the continent, so she was basically reduced to an extraordinarily-skilled palace guard for the next few years. But now that Ylisse was at peace...maybe it wouldn't be so stressful. Maybe she could afford to be a little more relaxed.

The future Exalt unsheathed Falchion and examined her reflection in the blade pensively, slowly losing herself in memories of the past. Suddenly, she saw movement reflected in the blade from within the trees behind her.

"Who goes there?" Lucina was on her feet in an instant, Falchion at the ready. "Show yourself!"

"Peace, Lucina," a deep, calming voice replied. "I mean you, nor your father, any harm."

Lucina did not budge. "Show yourself!" she repeated. "And how do you know my name?"

"As you wish." A being unlike anything Lucina had ever seen before drifted out of the forest to face her. It wasn't humanoid, or even animal-like, but, rather, a giant, white right glove. "If it makes you feel more comfortable, perhaps we could switch locations? I would hate to accidentally back you off the cliff."

The response caught her off-guard. She scrutinized the hand for a bit before cautiously taking a step to her right, keeping Falchion in front of her. The hand matched her movement so it continued to face her until they had come a half-circle.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, allow me to introduce myself. I am Master Hand, the administrator of a tournament known as the Super Smash Brothers. I presume you have not heard of it?" The princess shook her head. "Very well - " Master Hand snapped two fingers and a sealed roll of parchment appeared in front of Lucina. "- this should explain everything." But she didn't catch it, instead letting it fall to the ground, all while keeping her eyes and Falchion trained on Master Hand, eliciting a laugh from the deity. "Come now, I understand that you are suspicious of me, but I assure you I am both unarmed and incapable of inflicting direct harm to you. I couldn't push you off that cliff now if I tried."

"Do you think I am that naive?" Lucina replied testily, irritated at the hand's wasting of her time. "Many an opponent has tried to deceive or distract me to get an edge. They share one thing in common: all are dead by this blade."

Master Hand simply sighed and snapped his fingers again. The parchment lifted itself off the ground, unsealed, and unfurled in front of Lucina's face, at reading distance. Irritated, she tried to push it away, but it just returned to its position. She took a step to her right and it simply followed her. Now annoyed, she swung at it and, to her surprise, Falchion's blade abruptly stopped when it touched the parchment. Expecting it to be stuck, she yanked it away hard, but it came away cleanly, causing her to lose balance. She stumbled and her foot caught on a tree root, earning a faceful of dirt for her clumsiness.

When she pushed herself back up, the scroll was hovering in front of her face again. "Alright," she grumbled, sheathing Falchion and taking the scroll by both hands. "I'll read your damn scroll. Now will you please remove it from right in front of my face?"

Master Hand obliged instantly, though his voice carried unmistakable amusement. "It looks like clumsiness _does_ run in your family. It would have been a whole lot less troublesome to simply trust me, Lucina. True, you may not have had reason to trust many in the past, but your father must have taught you something besides swordplay."

"Are you lecturing me?" She didn't bother asking how he knew who her parents were.

"Perhaps. Now read the letter; those scrolls are designed to burn up after ten minutes." Lucina's eyes progressively widened as she read through it.

"Th-This isn't some sort of hoax? To be able to learn from the Hero-King himself..." her expression became a little dreamy.

"Absolutely not, my dear - "

"But what of my father? Of the future?"

"Your world will be kept safe. Rest assured, Lucina, I would not invite you were I not sure that the foreseeable future would be a tranquil one. If you are ready, we may depart immediately."

"I suppose I have a few belongings to collect."

"Then we should not waste any more time. Tell me where they are, and I shall retrieve them." Lucina pointed out the cave and Master Hand disappeared and returned with her few possessions instantly, already packed into the rucksack she carried them in.

 _"How has he not gone mad with all this power at his disposal...he has more power than Naga, and yet all he seeks to do with it is create a tournament. Mankind could learn much from his example."_

Master Hand put his thumb and index finger together before drawing them apart, opening a portal to what looked like the entrance to a mansion. He moved aside and swept himself low. "Lucina, welcome to the Super Smash Brothers. Your new home awaits."

The princess took one last look at Ylisstol spread out before her before entering the portal.

Master Hand watched the portal close behind the young princess. Satisfied that everything had gone to plan, he waited until the scroll suddenly erupted into flames and brushed the ashes off the cliff before teleporting away. He'd have to be back here in a few hours, but he couldn't afford to waste that time, not when this year's tournament would have the largest group of fighters yet.

* * *

 **Six hours later**

"Thank the Gods," Chrom sighed as the Shepherds finally entered the palace grounds. The majority of them went off towards their dedicated barracks located on the grounds, while the Exalted family, Khans of Regna Ferox, and Robin continued towards the palace itself. "I have never been one to enjoy public outreach."

"And yet, the people almost unilaterally support you, Chrom. You don't give yourself enough credit," Robin replied, swatting away a mosquito. Though the insects were not nearly as bothersome as they were in Plegia, where they congregated in impenetrable swarms near any oasis come dusk, Robin still hated them. Wait a minute, he'd only been in Plegia once in his memory and couldn't recall wandering near an oasis. So where did that come from?

"Being proficient does not equate enjoyment, Robin. And this support partly comes from our recent successes, of which you have played a bigger role in bringing about than I."

"Come now, you derive not even slight satisfaction from hearing the people so in support of your opinions? Alas, I fear I am only of use on the battlefield. I will be of little aid to you in peace as a mere tactician. And thank you for granting me residence in the palace."

"That support was mostly likely a result of me declaring this day a day of remembrance for Emmeryn above all else. The court of public opinion is a very fickle jury. One that demands without understanding what must be done to satisfy those demands. Those demands are often unreasonable, even impossible. That is where you come in, prime minister."

Robin's expression was priceless. "P-Prime minister? You're not serious, Chrom?!"

"A hundred percent, my friend. I can think of nobody better qualified for the position. And that is how you are going to pay for your lodging in the palace."

"B-But, an outsider virtually in charge of the Halidom, with authority over all the nobles! Think of what the repercussions will be!"

"It will be of overwhelming support when I reveal that he is the man behind our successes on the battlefield." Chrom slapped Robin's shoulder. "Come now, it won't be as bad as it sounds once we get the postwar affairs with Plegia over with."

"That's implying I survive the work and politics involved," Robin groaned. Chrom raised his eyebrows.

"Robin, the legendary tactician who fears no opponent no matter how long the odds, afraid of a few doting noblemen? Don't let word of that get out, you'll just make your job even harder," Chrom teased.

"Chrom, I'm being serious here! This is a dangerous move to make so soon after becoming Exalt! Patronage has caused many a strong government to crumble!"

"I shall not take that title, Robin. The last Exalt shall be Emmeryn, and I wish for it to remain as such."

"Great. Another thing to do on top of all of this reconstruction work: think of another title for you."

"You need not worry about political troubles just yet, Robin." A voice called from the dark. The pair whirled around, everyone else doing the same. Sumia promptly stumbled and would have fallen if Lissa hadn't caught her.

"Who are you and how the hell did you get into the palace?" Chrom demanded, drawing Falchion. Robin pulled out a Thoron tome from his robe and looked surprised.

"Wait a minute, this isn't the tome I had in here..."

"Where you are going, Robin, I imagined you could use a more powerful tome. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Master Hand, and I am the administrator of a tournament known as the Super Smash Brothers."

Flavia and Basilio exchanged surprised glances before clapping. "Haha! Well done, Robin!" The latter clapped him so hard on the shoulder that he would have fallen if Chrom hadn't caught him.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot, the Khans of Regna Ferox are familiar with my little tournament. Would you kindly care to explain to Robin?"

"...Yes, please do. And take it slow; I'm still trying to process the sight of a giant floating hand that just talked to me."

"It's a tournament that makes the periodic Feroxi tournament for dominance look like child's play. Only the finest warriors from any world are allowed to enter," Flavia explained.

"...wait, multiple worlds? Gods, this headache is only getting worse..." Robin groaned.

"From all manner of worlds and times," Basilio picked up the explanation, ignoring Robin's protest. "An invitation to the Super Smash Brothers is recognition of fighting skill at the highest order possible. I'll be honest, I'm a bit envious of you, boy."

"What, you, the biggest oaf in all Regna Ferox, make it into the Smash Brothers? Keep dreaming; you'd probably trip over your own axe before you hit anyone," Flavia scoffed. "I myself wouldn't dream of being elligible."

"As amusing as it sometimes is to see you and Basilio go at each other, Flavia, I don't think that's going to help this godsforsaken headache I'm getting..." Robin rubbed his temples. "Gods...an interdimensional fighter's league...why me? Why not Chrom, or Lon'qu, or one of the Khans?"

"There will be time to answer that question once we are on our way, Robin. But we must make haste. I have others to welcome. Will you accept?"

"No, such an honor should be bestowed upon - "

"Oh, stop being humble, boy, and just take it!" Basilio called with a laugh. "From what I've heard, they rarely pick more than one champion from each time! You might not get another shot at this, with the Radiant Hero and Hero-King as some of your competitors!"

"Robin, give yourself some credit, you're a brilliant fighter in your own right," Chrom said encouragingly. "And you have a much greater arsenal than any of us swordsmen. Sometimes a sum of proficiencies is a better judge of skill than any one talent."

It took a little more encouraging and dismissals of Robin's offer to have someone else go in his stead, but the tactician eventually accepted the offer, though he had made whispered request to Master Hand first.

"If that is all, we should be going," Chrom said with a slight bow to Master Hand. "I'm going to need some sleep; the days will only get longer from here on out."

"I'm afraid not, Chrom. You see, Robin's provision was that _you_ be invited too."

A stunned silence, and then Basilio's hearty laughter broke it. "Har har har! By the Gods, the boy's cunning knows no limits!"

Now it was Chrom's turn to gawk, which ended up being far more amusing as Sumia had to slap him out of it. Thankfully, she remembered to do it with her palm and not her fist.

It would be another hour before the Exalt and his most trusted advisor left Ylisse for the realm of Smash. Given Chrom's limited role, Master Hand had decided a puppet ruler was not needed, and that Chrom could rule from afar under the guise of an extended political visit to form a potential alliance, while returning to Ylisse occasionally to assure the people that he was still alive. The communications device he would use while away simply looked like an ordinary tome save the fact that it was embedded in the wall and projected an image of the user on the other end rather than any magic. When Robin had asked in horror if this meant that he still had his workload as prime minister to contend with, Master Hand had simply said he had a "solution."

And so Robin departed Ylisse positively dreading however long the tournament was going to last. While Sumia was the acting ruler in Chrom's absence, that didn't guarantee his position was going to be any easier.

"I wonder if Marth was invited?" Robin mused to Chrom to take his mind off his impending death by paperwork.

"I don't know. Basilio said they rarely chose more than one champion from any given time."

"Oh, Marth is here and has been for a while," Master Hand said offhandedly. "He's a veteran of these tournaments."

"...that would explain a lot about his skill," Robin said with a sigh. "Wait, you said 'he'?"

"Yes, I did. Here you are, gentlemen, I hope it is to your liking. Your belongings are already inside." Master Hand floated away.

"I thought we ascertained that Marth was female?" Chrom asked as they shut the door.

"...We'll work it out in time. Just...not now," Robin groaned. "I would like to spend some part of this evening not numb with headache, thank you."

* * *

 **Unknown location**

"What is this? Another time-traveler? And considerably more powerful than Marth, too? I do not understand how this does not concern you, Master Grima."

"Patience, Validar." The deep, echoing voice of the Fell Dragon echoed in the void. "He is of no threat to your destiny. Fate has given us a well-deserved break. I have not heard of this 'Super Smash Brothers' before, but if it is a tournament, then we can expect whoever leaves this world to participate to return worn-out and with their guard low. This will be the perfect opportunity to set things up: with Lucina absent, their greatest trump card, prior knowledge of fate, is gone. Not to mention that Chrom and my vessel shall be absent, too. With no brains left in the palace, Ylisse shall succumb to chaos. Even for the likes of Chrom, it was unusually foolish of him to crown that imbecile of a pegasus rider as queen, and surely even he has realized the stupidity of leaving her with any actual authority. He will be back before long, and if the time presents itself, we may be able to assassinate him."

"But Master Grima, didn't this newcomer say that he had taken precautions to ensure the world stays at peace? We should orchestrate events now so that his countermeasures cannot hinder us!"

"Validar, do not lie. You are fooling nobody, including yourself." A touch of mocking lined the Fell Dragon's voice. "I am well aware of Plegia's sorry state right now. With an army and navy that has deserted for these Ylissean scum, this country is hardly a worthy residence for my loyal Grimleal. You will need every day of this respite to rebuild Plegia. Reclaim her glory, so that when the time is ripe, you will be ready to play your part in ushering your god's return! Alas, it will not be any time soon as Valm is not ready either, but you **will** see Plegia restored to her proper glory in time, or suffer my...displeasure." The harsh scarlet glow of his eyes intensified at that last word.

"Yes, Master Grima." Validar bowed low. "I will not fail you."

"Good. Our time here is running short. The Plegian people are starting to cry for a leader. You know what you must do. Fear not, for the Fell Dragon shall see to it that all events turn in your favor, Prince. Or should I say, **King** Validar?"

Validar dropped to one knee. "You honor me, Master. I shall see the kingdom restored and replenished. We shall be poised to obey your every command, and eagerly await the day of your return."

"We shall see if your actions can mirror what your tongue promises for once. Go now." Validar faded into the void as the Fell Dragon's power whisked him back to the world of the living.

* * *

 **Dr. Light's Lab, Mega City, 20XX**

"Hi Dad, I'm back!" Rock called as he returned, carrying an armful of groceries and various parts. Auto, Rush, Eddie, and Roll were also helping to unload Auto's truck, and even Beat had managed to chip in by flying some smaller items inside. Tango, on the other hand, remained curled up in a chair near the doctor himself. Just another ordinary day for the family of the world's greatest roboticist and most renown hero.

It had been several months since Dr. Wily had vanished from the hospital and left behind the cure to his Roboenza virus. Roll had recovered quickly, despite Dr. Wily's warnings that prolonged exposure might cause permanent damage, and the household had returned to normal. That wasn't to say Rock didn't occasionally armor up to help people in need, but by and large, they had lived a quiet life, with their archnemesis in hiding again and the celebrations long over with. While there were some minor holidays approaching, Rock was never requested to make a public appearance save New Year's Eve and during visits by important politicians.

Rock set his burden down and embraced his father, who stood up from his computer to receive and return it. "Whatcha working on?"

Dr. Light sighed and sat back in his chair. "Just some drawings."

"Of what?"

"Of my latest project, but that is not important at the moment. I have something I have been meaning to discuss with you for a long time, my son."

"What is it?"

"I've been thinking, you've grown up so much from the little lab assistant I intended you to be. Perhaps its time we give your body an upgrade, too."

"Oh? Um...what kind of upgrade?"

"Some improvements to your system and hardware that is more in line with technology nowadays. As strong as you are, it's hard to believe, but your technology is nearly twenty years prior, and your fusion core is nearing the end of its life expectancy. With all the stress you've put yourself through taking down Albert time and again, it may have even exceeded it already."

Rock's eyes darkened. "Sure."

"I thought the time we replace your power core might be a good time to do so. I've already planned out everything, so all we need is your word. It should take only a few hours at most."

"Let's do it and get it over with," Rock straightened and gently pushed the drawer he'd been putting things into shut with his foot. "I trust that it won't affect my IC chip or personality data?"

Dr. Light sighed and stood. "Of course it won't. But before we do that, I have a question to ask of you, and I want you to answer honestly. Is something troubling you?"

"No."

"My boy, I thought I had programmed you not to lie."

"There isn't anything bothering me, Dr. Light, I promise." This was, unfortunately, nothing new, though it happened last after Bass' first encounter with the Light family, when he stole the parts for the Super Adaptor.

 _"Perhaps he is merely getting better at hiding it,"_ Dr. Light sighed. For all of his brilliance, this was still a realm that he struggled with. His son deserved better, but he never looked to anyone else, not even his siblings, for support in these moments.

"You have never been worried about your personality in the past when we had to repair you, and you should know well enough from your experience as my assistant that neither personality nor memory data is affected by a fusion core replacement if the process is done properly, as I always have. Clearly, my son, you are having doubts about your identity, otherwise you would not behave like Blues." Rock was about to reply, but his creator gently put a finger to his lips. "Just hear me out this once, my son. I can see it. Your sister can see it, and so can Auto. You don't know who to truly believe you are: the lab assistant Rock, or the hero Mega Man. My son, it is quite possible to be both at the same time. And you are both. Mega Man is the name under which you took up arms for humanity's sake. Rock is the true person underneath that. You are both of them, because they are the same person. I see the same benevolence and caring that drove Mega Man to fight for justice in you. I see the same determination to get the job done, regardless of difficulty, in you as well as in Mega Man. Your body is not possessed by two different personalities, fighting for dominance, but rather, inhabited by two sides of the same one that complement each other."

"...Thanks, Dad. I guess I'm just letting idle paranoia get to me." That wasn't the complete truth, but there was no point bothering his family with the memories of his struggles. Hopefully the fact that they had been weighing on him more lately was just temporary. Whatever lingering weight of war usually faded with peace.

"Emotional swings are a sign of uneven power supply, so it's a definite clue that your power core is in need of replacing. All your brothers' were replaced last year, but due to the whole incident with Wily framing me and Roboenza following a month afterwards, I never got around to replacing yours. That was why I had Roll install restraints to prevent you from performing actions that would stress your core, like prolonged swimming, sliding, or charge shots."

"So that's why I couldn't do those things. It was oddly refreshing to be like that again, though."

"At the expense of making things more difficult for you. I wouldn't wish that upon my son no matter how much it helped in the long run. We should get the upgrade done quickly now that we should have all the parts necessary." Dr. Light called Roll and Auto over. "Are you sure you want to be upgraded, Rock? We can just replace your power core if you say no," the doctor offered.

Rock shook his head. "No, I'm sure. Wily won't stop improving his goons until one of his schemes works, so it's only fitting that I improve as well."

"Very well, if you are sure. Would you please armor up for me? Your armor plate and Mega Buster will be upgraded too."

* * *

They were more than halfway through the process when the doorbell rang. "That's odd, nobody mentioned they were going to stop by," Dr. Light mused. "Oh well, if they have gone out of their way to find us, it isn't polite to deny them. Roll, would you please answer the door?"

A few minutes later, as Dr. Light finished the last of Rock's internal upgrades and started to piece together his new armor, Roll came back.

"Um, Dr. Light? Is it a good time to stop for a minute? He wanted me to give this to you, and he said he wanted to talk to Rock." She was carrying an envelope sealed with an unfamiliar logo.

"Who is he? Some sort of cultist?" Auto grumbled.

"Well, he's not an Emerald Spears agent for sure, otherwise he would have tried to kill me. He already knew my name and that I was a robot."

"Well that means we have a stalker then. Not sure which is worse, honestly."

"Auto, must you always see the negative side of things?" Rock sighed. "There are many things that are better to wake up to than your grumbling. And Roll, you can just let him in, if he wants to speak with me I shouldn't delay him on account of myself."

"Are you sure?" Dr. Light asked, but he already knew the answer. Roll disappeared and re-entered with Master Hand a minute later.

"Oh dear, it appears I have come at a bad time. My apologies, Mega Man."

"It's no trouble at all, I'll be done here in a little bit. Who are you?"

"My name is Master Hand. I am Master Hand, the administrator of a tournament known as the Super Smash Brothers."

"The name rings a bell..."

"So, you are no stranger to interacting with different worlds, I presume?"

"I...have vague memories of someone called...Sonic? Whatever his name was, he was definitely from another world." The Blue Bomber's eyes flickered as Dr. Light temporarily rerouted power to one of his arms. Master Hand waited until he was sure the robot was stable before replying.

"Ah, so you'll have at least one familiar face to pick out of the crowd. Anyway, the letter will explain everything."

"Erm, it's not exactly possible for me to read it - " The letter had unfurled itself and was positioned out of reach of any stray sparks of Dr. Light's welding torch as he slowly welded Rock's new armor on. While he was still rather suspicious of this newcomer, if his son was willing to trust him, then that was good enough. Rock's sense of danger probably far exceeded his own after so many years of combat.

"Gimme a minute..." the android's videoreceptors adjusted their focus and filtered out the blue glow of the torch before he started to read it, muttering the words aloud, partially out of habit, partially because he knew his family could hear. His robotic siblings were likely keeping their audioreceptors peeled. "Heheh, from what I remember of Sonic, this sounds exactly like what he would love to do. Sorry, but I must decline."

"What?!" Auto demanded. "You aren't seriously thinking of turning down such an offer, Rock! You're going to be fighting the best of the best!"

"Auto, that's the thing. I don't want to fight anyone. I never did."

"Mega Man, I assure you this is not some sort of army that I am conscripting you into." Master Hand decided not to mention the fiasco with Tabuu. "It's just a bit of friendly competition, Rock. Which name would you prefer me calling you, out of curiosity?"

"Be that as it may, I hate fighting. Even if it's sparring, I'd rather avoid it. And either, really, is fine. I'm not one to care about such things."

Master Hand chuckled. "That much is quite clear. You also needn't worry about Dr. Wily. I have...persuaded him that it is in his best interests to give up for the time being and focus on creating a single winning strategy rather than throwing scatterbrained plots around. Oh, don't worry," he added quickly upon seeing the Light family's horrified reactions, "...he doesn't know who I am, I merely influenced his thoughts from afar. He will be a long way from formulating a plan, and I have him under surveillance. If something were to happen, I can assure you that you will have full knowledge of his plans long before he puts any into effect."

"This still sounds a little too good to be true. But the offer is quite tempting."

Master Hand opened his palm in a defensive gesture. "I will not force you to make a decision, Mega Man. However, my time here is running short; I have other place to be."

Master Hand didn't seem to be the type to lie, so if he said Dr. Wily was going to be out of the way for the foreseeable future, he probably had good reason to say that. If nothing else, this tournament might be a chance to make some friends and learn a trick or two. He could certainly use some training; when it came to Wily and his threats, it only got more difficult each time. Plus, some combat experience to acquaint himself with his enhanced body would be a very good thing. And if had to be completely honest with himself, while he enjoyed the quiet life the Light family lived while at peace, it also got rather tiresome to constantly break up arguments between his siblings. With Auto doing most of the supply runs and Roll doing most of the housework (not that Rock didn't chip in whenever possible), most of his time had been devoted to thinking back on the memories he carried with him. Perhaps he simply needed to talk to a few more people. After all, from the sounds of it, they were just like him. Maybe sharing his experiences would help.

Rock took at look at his family. Dr. Light had lifted his welding mask to give him an encouraging smile, Auto was practically pleading him to go, and Roll looked confused, though Rock knew she would be in full support of him either way.

"Alright. I'll do it. Just give me a bit."

"Of course. Take as long as you need." Master Hand opened up a portal. "This will be here until you cross through it. Just don't let anyone else follow you in except Elec Man, if he hasn't already gone."

"Wait, Elec Man's going too?"

"He has been selected to be an assist trophy. There's an explanation on those in the letter. Farewell, Rock, and I welcome you in advance to the Super Smash Brothers, and your new home." Master Hand swept himself low and backed through the portal.

"Well, he's quite a character," Roll remarked. "Not unlike yourself, Rock."

"Really? How so?"

"Look at everything he can do. Yet he uses it for the sake of making the best heroes even better. What a selfless person - er, hand."

"I can see where you're coming from, sis." Rock winced slightly as another piece of armor was welded on. "Wonder where Elec Man is if Master Hand hasn't talked to him yet?"

"He's probably working, then. I'll contact him." Auto made to leave.

"He's not going to like that, you know how diligent he is," Roll called after him.

"Until you appeal to his ego," Rock interjected. His sister scowled at him in response, causing him to roll his eyes. "Oh, I forgot you don't approve, sis. That whole 'it's nobility not snobishness' thing."

"What?! No! I just don't think it's nice of you to insult your siblings!"

"C'mon, sis, lighten up! He knows I'd just be teasing him if I told him!"

"He's right you know, you do need to lighten up, Roll," Auto called from the next room. "It took one poke to set you off."

"Hmph!" She crossed her arms and left the room. Dr. Light just sighed and continued his work.

* * *

"Huh? I feel...bigger, for some reason," Rock mused as he stood up, powering down from Mega Man. "Quite a bit bigger."

"Yes, I had to expand your body to accommodate an energy balancer and improve your autorepair systems. I figured you were tired of carrying the device around," Dr. Light said with a smile. "I know it seems unnecessary, but the balancer can help with more than just weapon energy. It improves your overall survivability by micromanaging energy usage. And where you're going, I don't know if they'll be able to repair you. I might as well send you off with an autorepair system that can mend more than cosmetic damage."

"Wow, I...didn't know the balancer could do all of that. And just how much more does the autorepair do now?"

"It can completely repair anything short of major structural damage, such as a broken skeletal beam, or damage to itself or the power core in rather short order. Even major structural damage can heal on its own, but, like with a broken bone, it would be best to let yourself rest to during the process. Think of it like the human body's ability to heal, only faster. As for the power core, I fear it is still beyond my ability to devise a way to contain a core breach without either overloading you or causing fusion detonation. I also took the liberty of taking that quick-charge part that Auto so cleverly designed and incorporating it into your new Mega Buster. Functionally, it's the same as always, just a little more energy-efficient and has the quick-charge part installed by default. Per your idea, the variable weapon system is now linked to your primary memory bank, so you can store more weapon and tool data than just eight."

"I really hope I won't need it, but something tells me that I will," Rock sighed and put his armor back on to examine it. "This doesn't look much different than the old armor. Guess the added defense is in the materials."

"That and the fact that the armor's energy shield is much stronger, a fact aided by your improved power core. I figured that slimming it down a bit would help your maneuverability in combat, something that will suffer because of your increased size."

Roll suddenly returned, having calmed down from a while ago, and deposited a bag in front of him.

"What's this?"

"I packed some stuff for you!" Off her brother's bewildered expression, she continued, "What? I can't do you a favor just because I looked like I was mad at you?"

Rock chuckled. "Of course you can. I appreciate the gesture, sis. I just thought it was funny that here I am getting an aging-up, and it looks like you're still the more mature of us. I didn't even think about packing anything."

"Whoa, the little kid's grown up!" Auto said with a laugh as he examined Rock's upgraded form. "You're almost as tall as Dr. Light!"

Before Rock could say anything, Elec Man entered the room. "Well, well, aren't you prepared, little bro."

"Hey, he's actually fighting, unlike you," Auto retorted.

Elec Man's eyes darkened and electricity crackled from his hands, but his tone was light. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing!"

"Elec Man, if you have to zap anyone, zap Rock for making fun of you earlier." Roll said quietly from behind them, sweeping up metal shards from under the lab table.

"I figured your generosity was too good to be true," the Blue Bomber sighed dramatically. "Why am I always the one in these situations?"

Dr. Light laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Enough of that, boys. Rock, Elec Man, you two have a tournament to attend. Good luck to you both!" He gave his son a hug and shook Elec Man's hand. Roll hugged them both, while Auto settled for a high-five. Suddenly the letter came flying out of nowhere and pasted itself in front of Rock, to his surprise.

"Apparently I'm missing something...what's this...a moveset?" Rock examined the letter in confusion for a bit. "Dr. Light, do you still have the weapon data backups? The letter states that I'm allowed to bring these weapons and use them." The letter promptly floated over to Dr. Light.

"Of course. As a necessary precaution, like you asked me to. Are you sure you want to use them?"

"If what they say about the Smash Brothers is true, I'll take whatever help I'm allowed. Besides, it's not like I'll be genuinely harming anyone."

It took just a few minutes to download the appropriate weapon data, by which time Roll had rounded up Rush, Tango, and Beat. Eddie wanted to go too, but Dr. Light had insisted that he was needed in the lab, so the flip-top had reluctantly agreed to stay.

"Take care, both of you!" Roll dove at them for another hug. Rock returned it, while Elec Man held his arms out rather awkwardly, earning a laugh from the others.

"We should probably go," the Blue Bomber said after this continued for a while. Armoring up, he took a step towards the portal and waited for Roll to release Elec Man before the Robot Master strode past him and through the portal. Rock turned and raised a hand in farewell to his family before stepping through, only pulling his hand through once it was about to close.

Little did he imagine that this would be the last time he would see his family for two years, or the experiences he would have between that time and now.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So, yes, Mega Man is a bit different from any of his in-game appearances; I wasn't really a fan of _SSB4_ 's child-like rendition of him (which is more along the lines of how he was portrayed on the NES games), especially his artwork from newer games makes him look more mature than he was to start with anyway.**

 **Think of it as how he appeared in _Mega Man 8_ , just taller, around the lines of 5'7", and with a bulkier body. If it helps to put it this way, imagine a teenage Rock similar to the Ruby-Spears cartoon's version of him (just without the muscular armor). I wrote the upgrade in because I figured that Dr. Light might try that sort of upgrade to his first Blue Bomber to test out some of the systems he would eventually incorporate into X.**


	2. One Pig, Two Marths and Three Falchions

**Author's Note: In case you missed it, the events of _Fire Emblem: Awakening_ have not all come to pass (for reference this is before the events of Chapter 12 and beyond).**

* * *

"...Where am I supposed to go, Master Hand? Master Hand?" Apparently he hadn't followed. Wonderful. Mere seconds after entering her new home, Lucina was already directionless.

Fortunately, someone seemed to have noticed her predicament. "Ah, hello there! A newcomer, I presume?" A young man with an unfamiliar red uniform and a matching cap strode over to her. There was a slight accent to his voice, but Lucina couldn't tell what it was. He extended a gloved hand. "My name's Mario."

"Lucina." They shook hands.

"If you would please follow me, I'll show you inside. They'll tell you where your room is."

 _"Well, some direction is better than no direction."_ While she normally would be suspicious, she suspected Master Hand would not approve of fighting outside the arena. The princess followed Mario inside to the mansion's foyer, where two women were sitting at a table. One of them, with blonde hair and in a pink dress, was looking rather bored. The other, in a purple-and-white outfit adorned with golden highlights, was talking to a man with blonde hair in a plain green tunic and a strange, pointed hat of the same color. He didn't look much older than Lucina herself. If not for the shield and sword slung on his back, she would have questioned why he was here.

The one in pink perked up as they approached. "Oh, do we finally have some newcomers? Thanks, Mario, I'll take it from here." She turned to Lucina. "Hello, I'm Princess Peach. You can just call me Peach."

She turned to her companions, her hands on her hips. "Come on, now, really? You two can't break it up long enough to say hello?" With another disapproving sigh she turned back to the cerulean swordswoman. "I'm terribly sorry about them. She - " Peach gestured " - is Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and the one in green is the Hero of Hyrule, Link."

"Hello." Zelda waved at Lucina. "It's an honor to meet you." Link, meanwhile, nodded in greeting and stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you two. My name's Lucina."

"Oh come on, there has more to it than that!" Peach gave an exaggerated sigh. "How are we supposed to know who you are without any sort of title?" She scolded.

The joke was lost to Lucina. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you!" She raised her hands defensively and took a step back. Peach started laughing, much to the former's confusion. Zelda frowned in disapproval, but said nothing while Link promptly facepalmed.

"Peach, I thought that having to work this job three times would have taught you that we come from different cultures," a new voice said from main hall. A tall, extremely well-built man with blue hair, a headband, a half-suit of armor similar to Chrom's but with a red cape, and a large, gold-tinted, black-hilted sword hoisted on one shoulder strode into the light of the foyer. Lucina's eyes widened as she recognized Ragnell from the books she had read as a child.

"Zelda, Link, Peach," he nodded at each of them in turn.

"W-Wait...you're...the Radiant Hero...?! I-It's an honor to meet you in person, milord!" Lucina hastily bowed as Ike turned to her.

"Please, just call me Ike. You must be Princess Lucina." He held out his hand.

"Ooh, another fighting royal heiress?" Ike scowled in irritation at Peach's interruption, but did not reply. Lucina timidly returned the handshake and affirmed the Radiant Hero's guess with a nod. She hadn't expected him to be so...down-to-earth looking, or humble. Then again, those qualities of heroes were usually overlooked in the old myths; she'd heard more about Marth's true nature from her parents than stories.

"Ike, there you are! I was beginning to fear you hadn't returned!"

"Marth, good to see you again too!" Ike shook hands with the Hero-King, who was now studying Lucina with interest.

"Who is this?"

Lucina met Marth's gaze and involuntarily shuddered. There was a piercing quality to his gaze, so fierce that one brief moment of eye contact would be enough for him to probe at the darkest depths of his victim's mind...

 _"Dammit, what are you doing?"_ She scolded herself for being so easily distracted. But there was just something to his gaze...it reminded her so much of Chrom...but then again, he _was_ her ancestor, so it made sense for him to be similar in such ways...

Fortunately for her, Ike, caught on to the fact that she was rather preoccupied before his friend. "This is Princess Lucina, one of the newcomers from our universe," he said on her behalf. She took her cue to bow in greeting.

"Are you alright, Lucina?"

"I'm fine, milord," she replied. "J-Just...honored to be in your presence!"

The Hero-King chuckled. "Just call me Marth. It makes things a lot less complicated." He glanced at Peach, who was tapping her foot. "Er...perhaps we should let Peach do her job, then, Ike?"

The latter grunted in agreement. "Nice to meet you, Lucina. Would you be open to joining us in the lounge later tonight? I would very much like to hear your story."

"Oh, erm...okay. Bye...?" She waved awkwardly. Ike gave her a smile and headed back from where he had come, deeper within the mansion.

"Probably going to eat," Marth groaned. "Anyway, I, too, would be intrigued to learn more about you, Lucina, I do hope you'll accept our invitation."

"O-of course, Marth."

"Very well, I shall see you then. Farewell for the present, Lucina." He strode out the front door into the sunlight.

Peach giggled. "We need to work on your social skills, Lucina. Anyway, I've registered you, so if you'll follow me, I'll take you to your room."

"Alright." Lucina's mind was still hazy from the past few minutes. She had not only met both legendary heroes in person, but been referred to as an equal. And Ike had said he was interested in hearing her story...she wasn't _that_ extraordinary, was she? All Lucina had done her entire life was fight a losing guerrilla war against Grima's Risen, and taken the only option left when that war was lost.

"Here we are," Peach stopped in front of a door. "Go on in, if you need help unpacking, just ask."

"I think I can manage, thank you, Peach." Lucina opened the door and examined it with a frown.

"Is something wrong?"

"There's no lock on this door. Not one that I see a means to control, at least."

"Oh, Master Hand controls them so he can enforce curfew. Don't worry, nobody except either him or Crazy Hand has the ability to control them," Peach added, sensing Lucina's apprehension at living in a room without a controllable lock.

"I'll take your word for it."

"Come on, Master Hand's not that strict about the rules," Peach replied, thinking that the lack of freedom was what was bothering her.

"It's not that. What if someone breaks in?"

"Oh, that's not an issue," Peach gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "The only people besides us Smashers in this world are the people who live in town, and they're all nice people. They wouldn't bother taking stuff when they can make a lot more money off franchising."

"Erm...what?"

"You'll see. Anyway, I'm sure many of the veterans are eager to meet you, since other newcomers haven't shown up yet. If you'd like, I can introduce you to them."

"Oh...well, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Not like she had anything else to be doing at the moment. All this free time was a bit of a new thing for her; almost every moment prior to her return to the past had been either fighting off Risen or scavenging for supplies. "Is it alright if you give me some time to settle?"

"Oh, no problem! I'll be back in an hour and you can meet them at lunch, is that okay?"

"Sure. Thanks, Peach." Lucina hauled her rucksack inside and flopped down on the bed with a sigh, rubbing temples.

 _"Ooh...I think I'm getting a headache from all of this...it's all happening so fast."_

* * *

"So what do you make of this place?" Rock asked his brother as they shut the door to their room behind them. Both androids waited for their videoreceptors to adjust to the glare of the late afternoon sun before moving.

"I can only hope the inhabitants make up for its appearance," Elec Man said with a disdainful sniff.

"Oh come off of it, just because the architecture isn't as modern as in our world doesn't mean it's ugly. I think it looks quite nice."

There was a pause. "Where do you reckon the others are? Mario told me we were one of the last to arrive."

"Who knows? There's no figuring out the people here."

"As prejudiced as that sounds, I have to agree to an extent. They're different from those in our world, thankfully for the better. Why don't we try the cafeteria? Food usually brings everyone together."

"Rock, it's not dinnertime."

"Well, it's open right now, so apparently there are people who still eat now or are eating early."

Another pause before Elec Man switched tacks. "You do remember Mario saying that the rooms don't lock, right?"

"I trust Rush and Tango are going to remember to keep their activities confined to the room. It's not like it's a small, either, so they should have space to romp around."

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they found Mario, Dr. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Rosalina sitting around a table.

"Hi there! Wanna join us for tea?" Peach called to them.

"Oh, sure, why not? Coming, Elec Man?"

"No thank you, I have other business I would rather be attending to than fraternizing with simple humans," the electric robot said with a disdainful sniff. He turned heel and left while Rock walked over and pulled up a seat. Mario gave him a polite nod of greeting.

"Sorry about Elec Man's behavior, he's usually not like this," Rock said apologetically as he sat down. "I guess it's because he's only an assist trophy."

"Oh, no worries, if that's the case I'm sure he'll get over it," Peach said dismissively as she poured him a cup of tea.

"So, you are a newcomer, I presume? What is your name?" Rosalina asked, the Luma in her lap studying Rock with interest.

"Come on, Rosalina, surely you've heard about this newcomer! He was the most requested, after all!" Peach chimed in.

"Of the many details you have told me about the world of Smash before I arrived here, Princess Peach, that was not one of them," Rosalina replied.

"Well, he's to his world what I am to ours," Mario explained.

"Ah...brother, that doesn't help," Luigi said.

"Um...anyway, I'm Mega Man," Rock cut in before the _Mario_ cast's argument proceeded any further.

"Oh! I expected you to be...a little less ordinary-looking. I am Rosalina - "

"Mother of the Lumas, keeper of the Comet Observatory?" Rock inquired, to general astonishment. He then named each of them and their achievements.

"Um...how did you know all of that?" Luigi inquired.

Mario, on the other hand, made a noise of comprehension. "Been putting your remote access to the archives to use, have you?"

"When you only need to see things once to commit it to memory, knowledge doesn't hurt. Back to your point, Rosalina, a hero needs an alternate identity sometimes. You never know when it might come in handy."

"Wow!" Luigi exclaimed. "Must be a lot easier to fight off evil with all those fancy powers of yours."

"Um...thank you...?"

"Luigi, show a little respect!" Peach scolded. Turning to Rock, she continued, "Sounds like you should talk to Lucina or Zelda."

"Sorry, who?"

"Lucina's another newcomer, and Zelda was the other one at the registration table when I brought you in earlier," Mario explained.

"Huh. That's unlike me, to forget someone's name," Rock mused.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Luigi told him. "All of this must be a bit of a shock."

"Anyway, I think both Zelda and Lucina could sympathize with your point of view," Peach continued. "But, personally, I don't think I could put up a facade like that."

"Not that you would need to, all you do is let yourself get kidnapped and wait for your friends to save you," Morton Koopa jeered as he and two of his siblings scuttled past with a bag from the kitchen.

Mario stood suddenly, his face ablaze with anger. "Say that again, I dare you."

As their Clown Cars were still being assembled by their father, there wasn't much more the Koopalings could do but make faces at the group before leaving.

"Who the hell thought it was a good idea to invite _villains_ here, again?" Rock grumbled as their laughter faded down the hall.

"Master Hand thinks it adds diversity to the roster. At the very least, there's more than one of them, so they can just mingle among themselves and leave the rest of us alone," Mario explained with a sigh.

"...Well, he's in charge here, so I guess we don't have a choice but to go along with that. Anyway, Peach, do you mind explaining why you think Zelda and Lucina would sympathize with me?"

"If you don't mind being here for a bit, sure. The stories are kinda long. Oh, and before I start, I have ask you one more thing as a general rule."

"What's that?"

"Don't reveal any talk about newcomers that you heard in front of them, okay? Master Hand has...an advance copy of the script, so to speak, in some cases."

"As in...he can predict the future?"

"Well, given that he can travel between dimensions at will, and he controls literally everything about this world if he's inclined to, it's more likely he's _seen_ rather than truly forecasted anything, but, I guess that's predicting in a way since nobody else has that ability."

"Wow, why don't we have more people like him in positions of power?" Rock grumbled. "Would save me a lot of trouble, and who knows how many others."

Mario chuckled. "With you there."

Rock assumed a more relaxed pose in his chair. "Anyway, go ahead, Peach. Might as well get a leg up on knowing more about everyone here than just a name and title."

* * *

 **Courtyard, Smash Mansion**

"Met any of the newcomers yet besides Lucina?" Ike asked as he caught up with Marth a few hours later. The latter was examining the throng of Smashers gathering in the center of the courtyard from a bench. "I heard our universe is getting one more besides her."

"I have not, nor have I see any newcomers beside her at all. It seems they are all taking time to get accustomed to this place. I'll admit, I can sympathize."

Ike chuckled and sat down. "Me too. It was quite a culture shock for me. Plus, there's more veterans and people here overall, which just makes things more difficult. The only newcomer I've met so far is some Pokemon called Greninja, but you know how they are, they always hang out with their own kind. I went over to ask Charizard where Ivysaur and Squirtle were and he was with them."

"Hm, that is a good question, though. Where are those two?"

"Apparently they are not returning, so Charizard is an individual fighter now rather than part of a team."

"That should keep things interesting for sure," Marth mused. He waved to Zelda and Link as they passed.

"Speaking of newcomers, what do you make of Lucina?"

"Well, all I know at the moment besides what we've seen in the archives is that she's really awkward."

Ike raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you to be so blunt about people. I think it's the result of the fact that we're legends in her time. She probably grew up hearing stories about us and our deeds. I'd also imagine that the fact she took your name and appearance might have made it worse."

"Really? I would have taken it as a compliment."

The Radiant Hero laughed. "Marth, when has history ever depicted us accurately? Every detail of our adventures will be twisted and exaggerated with the generations. It's only a matter of how many."

"That's not entirely rue. I know the stories will get a few things right about you for eternity: you fight for your friends and your enemies should expect so little sympathy from you that you need to warn them."

Ike's laughter darkened to a scowl. "Very funny."

"There's perks to learning two languages. They can't do anything but mock my Japanese."

"I'm going to get some food." Ike stood.

"Again? Do you ever stop eating?"

"No, and I've got the strength to show for not starving myself." Ike brandished one of his arms, noticeably thicker than Marth's.

"Hey, it takes strength to wield Falchion, too," Marth protested, but the Radiant Hero was already walking away with a smirk. Marth groaned and, deciding it would be a good time check if any newcomers had gotten settled yet, headed towards the crowd.

From the corner of the courtyard, Lucina watched the two _Fire Emblem_ heroes go their separate ways, still unsure of whether this was not some strange dream. After all, how could her skills possibly compare to those of the two greatest legends of all time?

"Marth, fancy meeting you here." Lucina jumped at the sound of the familiar voice.

"C-Chrom. Robin."

"Are you alright?"

"You do not need to worry about me. I should have figured your performance in the arena would be enough to grant you entry."

"Actually, I am here at Robin's request. He was the lucky one. And there are better ways to get to know these people than hanging out in the shadows."

"Chrom, was that really necessary? Being Exalt does not mean you should just force your opinions on other people," Robin interjected, and Lucina's respect for the tactician went up a notch. "That's when a monarch becomes a dictator."

He merely shrugged. "Alright, take it easy, Robin. I'm just trying to offer some advice. And I've already told you not to refer to me as 'Exalt'. Good day to you, Marth." The pair walked off, Robin turning and raising a hand in farewell while Chrom kept walking. Lucina did not return the gesture and pretended to be interested in Kirby, King Dedede, who was now wielding the largest hammer she'd ever seen, and a winged swordsman about Kirby's size she remembered as Meta Knight.

 _"That was close. I almost called him 'father' there."_

 _"...On second thought, it may not have been a bad idea to reveal myself. Everyone else already knows my true name, and with the Hero-King himself present, it is only a matter of time before my identity is revealed to him. I may not remember much of my father, but I know he could never stand dishonesty."_ She sighed. Had she not run into him like that, she could have passed herself off as being from the future. But Chrom had seen her first, and now there was going to be some awkward explaining to do. Lucina scolded herself for her stupidity. Now her first impression on her father was going to be about as bad as it could be. He could probably look past that in time and with an explanation, but it still boded ill, both for how much he would believe her and whether he might punish her for lying if he did. Lucina hurried after him.

She was halfway to him when a voice stopped her. "Why hello, sweetie." She turned and saw a man in a blue jumpsuit that she remembered as being amongst the veterans that had witnessed her arrival.

"Er...who are you?"

"Name's Falcon. Douglas Jay Falcon, but they call me Captain Falcon around here. I heard you're one of the newcomers?"

"Yes. My name's Lucina."

"Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful lady," Falcon replied with a blinding smile and took a couple steps closer.

"I-I'm sorry, but I have someone to meet." Lucina backed away nervously.

"Oh come now, I'm sure they'd understand if you had some business to take care of with Captain Falcon." He was seriously starting to creep her out. "Come on, sweetie, I don't bite," he promised, and before the princess could react he'd swiftly kissed her cheek.

"You pig!" She shoved him backwards and drew Parallel Falchion, her face turning scarlet. "I-I'll teach you a lesson on how to behave towards a woman!"

Falcon was quicker than she could have imagined; he was back on one knee already. The bounty hunter slammed his elbow down, deflecting her attack. In the next instant he was on his feet and had Parallel Falchion pinned with his left foot. With the other, he kicked at her hands, causing her to relinquish Parallel Falchion as her fingers reflexively opened in pain. Falcon pushed it away with his now-free left foot before slamming it into her chest, sending her flying backwards. By now, some of the nearby Smashers had noticed the commotion.

"Falcon, what have you done now, you hotheaded idiot?" Link demanded.

"Hey, she started it!"

"Probably because you were 'welcoming' her like you do to every female or even gender-ambiguous newcomer." Zelda rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I still don't understand how I didn't try to vaporize you when you did that to me."

"Because he did it in the middle of one of Master Hand's announcements," Link deadpanned.

"That would explain it. Not that I should particularly care to remember that. Falcon, you're losing your touch, or what little of it you had."

"What's that supposed to mean? And I am not stalking anyone! Nobody here has a proper sense of how relationships work!" Falcon protested.

"Er...no offense," said a voice from behind Link, "...but your method makes those of people in my world look restrained." An ordinary-looking boy, with brown hair and looking to be in his mid-teens, stepped forwards. Well, ordinary save the pair of large blue boots he wore that extended to his knees.

"As if you knew anything about the subject at hand," Falcon scoffed. "What is a fanboy doing here anyway? If you want my autograph, I don't have a pen on me."

"Fanboy? Hahaha!" Someone in a rather strange-looking black, yellow, and red armor stepped forward. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Sure enough, the boy's skin seemed to be pixelating into cyan and blue armor. While most of the crowd looked stunned at Mega Man's sudden revelation, Falcon just rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'll admit you got me, but what would a robot know of hooking up with someone anyways?"

"I've seen enough stalking and pushy relationships in my time. I think you've taken the cake for pushiest of them all, though."

Falcon threw up his hands and walked away. "I rest my case. Nobody has a proper sense of relationships here." He disappeared into the crowd, which immediately started conversing amongst themselves again.

"Geez, what a nutcase," Elec Man grumbled.

"From what I've heard, he's cocky, but really good, so I guess he's earned that right. Wouldn't you say so? Also, you can't really talk about how he chases women."

Elec Man was very similar to Falcon in both respects, so it was a surprise he responded at all. "Wonder why he went through so much trouble for her," he grumbled as he caught a glimpse of Lucina, who was brushing herself off, dismissing Peach and Zelda's offers of assistance. "Nothing remarkable. How she was invited when there are the likes of _me_ that were rejected - "

"Ground control to Elec Man, it's time to come back down." Personally, Rock couldn't see why the electric robot was suddenly setting so much store by a first impression; it wasn't like him. Probably just because he was playing second fiddle to his brother again. "It's not like being leered at puts you in the optimal state to put up a fight, especially against an unknown opponent."

"Shut up."

"Make me. You know my point is valid." Elec Man pursed his lips for a second before forcing himself to calm down. Rock, meanwhile, decided this would be a good time to make a new acquaintance and left his brother alone, picking up the Parallel Falchion by the hilt as he left. He also decided to keep his armor on, since it seemed that almost all the veterans, and even some newcomers, were more familiar with him in that form.

"Are you all right, Lucina? I think this belongs to you." He tossed the sword up lightly and caught it by the flat of its blade with the tips of his fingers, keeping them away from the razor-sharp edges. Link and Zelda both raised an eyebrow at the unexpected display, while Peach looked rather impressed. Whatever reaction Lucina had didn't show physically, Rock noted as he held Parallel Falchion out for her to take. Now that they were close to each other, he got his first thorough look at her.

She couldn't be more than a few years older than he looked now, maybe seventeen or eighteen at the oldest. Her left eye's iris and pupil were distorted...maybe the result of some injury? No...it looked a lot like the mark he had seen on Chrom's shoulder when he'd briefly met Robin and the Exalt. So it looked like what the Blue Bomber heard about her was true; she was Chrom's direct and Marth's distant descendant, even if neither knew it. Speaking of the Hero-King, she seemed to look a lot like him too. That was a story that he could ask about later. Even without a backstory, though, he sensed there was a lot of tragedy in her life. She'd obviously been fighting for a long time to be skilled enough for an invitation. With how young Lucina was, she could have easily take up the sword as a child, which wasn't something that was usually done willingly. Not only that, but he could see the situation was rather awkward for her. It was the same type of subtle nervousness that his brother Proto Man often displayed when in conversation not related to a task at hand or looming threat to the world. Apparently, she didn't socialize very often, and if what he'd deduced already was true, it was because of constant warfare and loss. He didn't know or want to know to what degree.

 _"What kind of reality must she have come from to go through that...I can't imagine."_ Mega Man suddenly realized that Lucina had taken hold of Parallel Falchion's hilt and let go, hoping his hesitation hadn't been noticed.

"I am fine, and thank you." She took her weapon back and sheathed it. "I see you are no stranger to handling blades. Who are you?"

"What? You don't know who this is?" Peach gasped.

"How am I supposed to, Peach? I didn't know about this whole tournament until less than a day ago!"

"But he was, like, the most popular nominee for this year's newcomers list!"

"Er...I don't think that would be something Master Hand would put in the letter he gave us newcomers," the Blue Bomber said before Lucina could retort. "Anyway, I'm Mega Man."

"There's nothing 'mega' about you though," Peach said suddenly with a giggle.

"As if we haven't already heard that joke a dozen times today from you," Zelda grumbled. "I think I'm going to leave before I have to suffer from that again. Good day." Link excused himself and followed suit.

Lucina didn't think it was funny either, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. "Actually, Peach brought up a good point. Where did you get your name?"

"Well, it comes from my primary weapon, the Mega Buster." His right arm was covered by the same pixelating effect Lucina had seen earlier and was replaced with a cylindrical device with a faintly-glowing meter on one side. It tapered off to a hole at the end that was covered by a dull red but translucent substance.

Lucina frowned. "How does it work? Is it like a tome?"

"What's a tome?"

"A spellbook that magicians use to cast magic spells."

"What the hell are _you_ talking about?" Elec Man grumbled, saying his first words since he'd joined them. "And nice of you to introduce me to your friends, brother."

The electric robot's words went unacknowledged by his sibling. "Uh...I think we came from two completely separate realms of reality here. There's no magic involved in the Mega Buster, but even Fox fell asleep when I was explaining how this thing worked, so I don't think it's a good idea to do so."

"...Oh. My apologies." Lucina lowered her gaze to the ground, feeling rather silly.

Sensing her mood, Rock switched tacks, taking his armor off as he did so. "By the way, this is my brother, Elec Man." The Robot Master nodded in greeting.

"I presume you can control Thunder Magic, then?" Zero out of five now on thinking before acting. Lucina mentally kicked herself.

To her surprise, he nodded but said nothing more. Rock stepped in again. "Well, we call it electricity in our world, but I imagine it's the same thing in principle."

"I get the feeling your brother doesn't like her," Peach remarked.

"Don't worry about that, he's still getting over being only an Assist Trophy. When you have an ego the size of Captain Falcon's, I guess it's only a natural reaction."

Elec Man looked like he might fry his brother on the spot, but Rock's expression didn't change. Other than his signature pixelating effect near his right hand, nothing moved as a saw blade materialized in his hand. "Down."

"I am not Rush! That's it, if you're going to use me as some mere object of amusement, I will be leaving now!" He stormed off. The saw blade disappeared in the same manner it had been summoned. The teenage android merely sighed, but Peach was giggling uncontrollably at the scene that had just played out.

"What's so funny?" Lucina wasn't any more amused by it than Rock. "All he did was summon that disc."

"As unamusing as I found it myself, Lucina, if that's all you saw in it, we need to work on your people skills," he said with another sigh.

"Yeah, you're about as observant of people as Toad. I guess it comes with being Chrom's daughter; heard the guy's dense as cinderblock."

Rock was about to retort that Peach was being insensitive when none other than Chrom himself walked over, Robin, Ike, and the real Marth close behind, a scowl on the Exalt's face. "What was that about me?"

 _"Oh, Naga, no,"_ Lucina groaned to herself. Of all times for her to have her hand forced...

"I rest my case. I'll be off now, goodbye!" Peach turned heel and walked away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Chrom demanded, but the princess had gone. He shifted his glare to Rock, but didn't recognize him. "I'm sorry, I don't recall your name. However, I must ask you to please leave us for the time being."

"If you can have Ike and Robin present, surely this isn't a fa - sensitive issue. _Almost let the cat out of the bag there; I have to be more careful. If Lucina doesn't want to reveal her identity yet, then that's her choice to make._ "

Lucina turned to him, surprised at his adamant reply. Chrom, on the other hand, deepened his scowl and examined Rock through narrowing eyes. "You're awfully stubborn, even for a child."

"And you would know _what_ exactly about children and parenting? You've been married for only a few weeks!"

"Anyway," Lucina quickly cut in, shooting her newfound defender a glare that was mostly for show, "What do you wish to discuss, Chrom?"

"I was hoping you might clear up something for me."

Her anxiety went up a few notches. "O-Oh? What would that be?"

"Sumia has told me something has happened. And...well...I heard...it seems..."

"He fucked her so hard their child was sent back in time! Hahaha!" Wario cackled from behind them..

Lucina recoiled in disgust. _"How crude! Who thought it was a good idea to invite him?!"_ The others appeared to be thinking along similar lines.

Marth recovered first. "Firstly, Wario, that wasn't even funny; it was extraordinarily crude. Secondly, if you must make jokes of that nature, don't say them in the company of the subject matter." He turned to the others. "Excuse me while I remove this disgusting sight from our presence." He seized Wario by the arm and started dragging him away, pulling his own Falchion out and pointing its tip at the former's neck when he resisted.

Ike sighed. "I'll make sure Marth doesn't get himself in trouble. He's usually harder to anger than I am, but he has a tendency to be rash when angered. See you three later tonight, then?"

"A-Absolutely," Lucina stammered, still embarrassed at Wario's joke about her.

"'Subject matter'?" Robin was swiveling his head back and forth between Chrom and Lucina in confusion. "Oh..." His eyes suddenly widened in understanding. "Excuse me." The tactician quickly hurried off. Rock had remained silent hitherto, though Marth's words had confirmed his silent suspicions.

"Er...perhaps it's best that I give you two some space." The android hurriedly left as well.

"...Right then," Lucina spoke after an uncomfortable silence. "What did you want to say to me?"

"Well...Sumia has found out she is pregnant with our first child. And she has already decided to call her Lucina. I am not the creative type, so I consented to letting her choose the name." Hearing her name spoken from her father's mouth for the first time in more than a decade almost made Lucina's legs give out, but she willed herself to keep her composure.

Chrom took a step closer. "And just hours later, I learned from the Hero-King that someone named Lucina, and from our world nonetheless, has been invited to the tournament. I...have suspected since you thwarted Emmeryn's assassination that your true name is not Marth, though I have nothing better to call you. But I will not ask you to reveal anything you don't wish to; whoever you are, Ylisse is forever indebted to you."

"Thank you, but I think we would both prefer that I reveal the truth, whatever your suspicions may already be. Look closely, and it will be made clear." She lifted her gaze to his.

"...The Brand of the Exalt..." Chrom's gaze briefly raised to the tiara she wore, identical to the one that Sumia currently wore as the Queen, then lowered to the weapon at her waist, a Falchion identical to his own and Marth's.

"...Lucina..?" With the revelation came a wrenching rush of emotions as her warnings about the future from the day she had first appeared returned. _"What kind of father and ruler must I have been, to leave my daughter a world so unfit for mankind that she was forced to become a warrior and Exalt as a child..._ " He raised his gaze to briefly meet his daughter's again before looking down. "You deserve better from me than a world of troubles and only a sword to combat them. I'm sorry..."

The tears that had formed in her eyes started to fall, the remains of the barrier she'd held herself behind melting down before father's words. A gentle touch on her cheeks wiped them away. She looked up to see Chrom wearing the same expression she so fondly remembered from her childhood. The one that had an instantaneous calming effect no matter what was upsetting her, the one that told her everything would be all right and that her father was here.

"Oh, Father!" Lucina could hold back no longer and blindly started forward, holding her arms out to embrace her father for the first time in many years. Chrom unhesitatingly returned it, putting a hand around her neck and stroking her hair to calm her down. "Father, I'm sorry..."

Chrom gently hushed his daughter and waited a few moments for her tears to stop before replying. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"...But...the way I spoke to you...what I said - "

"You did what you had to. None of your actions would be necessary if I had done my job as a parent and ruler better..." They stood in silence for a minute as he continued to hold her. "...Father...?" he mused aloud. Lucina looked up and hastily removed her arms from around him.

"Sh-Should I call you something else?"

"No, it's just...new to me." He gently took her hands in his. "I like it, though it will definitely take some getting used to, heheh."

A green blur shot between Lucina's legs, causing her to yelp in surprise. A streak of red shot over both of their heads and dove onto the green blur, revealing the former to be a dog of sorts and the latter a cat. For a moment, the two strangely-colored animals wrestled with each other before the former overpowered the latter.

"Tango! Rush! What did I tell you not to do?!" Rock's stern voice came from one of the entrances into the mansion and he came pelting out. "I'm terribly sorry, are either of you hurt?"

"No, we're fine," Chrom assured him. "I would appreciate, however, if your pets caused mayhem elsewhere."

"My apologies, I forgot the doors to our rooms here don't have locks we can't control. I'll take them away, posthaste." Rock shooed the two robotic animals inside and followed suit.

Lucina was a little crestfallen that the moment had been broken, but nevertheless she felt a huge burden lifted from her shoulders. Her father had accepted her as his daughter and forgiven her far more readily than she expected. Suddenly the sun seemed a little brighter and the colors around her more vibrant. Maybe she could live a life with her family after all...

"So, Lucina, I have a favor to ask of you." Her father broke her train of thought.

"Ask away. I am your daughter, and at your beck and call."

Chrom smiled. He could see a fair bit of Sumia in her. "Now that Robin and I have settled here, I will be returning to Ylisse tomorrow and staying until the tournament begins at the end of the week, and I would like you to accompany me so that I may introduce you."

"Father, wouldn't that be a little...unseemly? A strange woman suddenly appearing in the palace, neither the wife nor daughter of the Exalt? What would the people say? Their trust in the crown is still tenuous, even after Aunt Emmeryn's..." Lucina's voice trailed off and she bit her lip. It was even more painful to reflect upon that now that she fully realized her relation to Emmeryn.

Her father's smile just broadened as he put his hands on her shoulders. He could also see himself in her, too. If there had been any doubts in his mind about her lineage, they were gone now. "Not to worry, I'm sure we can conjure up a story before then. I'll speak to Robin about it tonight."

"Thank you." Lucina caught herself staring at her father and quickly looked over his shoulder, blushing slightly. It had just been a very long time since she'd beheld him with her own eyes up close, but he might not see it that way.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry, Father. A lot is on my mind right now."

"I understand. If you want to talk - "

"I know you'll be there. You always were," she replied with a small smile. "However, I would prefer to be alone to gather my thoughts. Why don't you see if Robin is available to discuss a cover story for my visit?"

Chrom raised an eyebrow at the command thinly veiled as a suggestion. "Been a while since you've been in the subordinate position, young lady?"

Lucina lowered her gaze. "Forgive me, father. I did not mean to order you around."

Her father just chuckled. She definitely had his tendency to be literal. "Perhaps you could teach me a thing or two about ordering people around, then. I'm still not sure I'll be cut out for ruling Ylisse with my disinclination to force people to do anything."

"Well, you did fine in my future. Other...events just saw to it that your time was short."

Sensing her discomfort, Chrom switched tacks. "There will be plenty of time to discuss the future, Lucina. In the meantime, I may take you up on your suggestion to find Robin. I will see you at dinner, then?"

"Of course." Her father walked away, surprised at how much the exchange had revealed about himself. It was no secret to even himself that he often took things too literally and was never remotely skilled at reading people, yet, judging from how things had gone, he had read Lucina perfectly. The only other people he'd been able to do that with were Sumia, Lissa and Emmeryn.

 _"Maybe it's just because she's a lot like Sumia and I._ Oh, hello, Robin. What's the rush?" For he had just stumbled upon the tactician running full tilt out of the mansion.

The latter scurried out from in front of the doorway before gasping a reply. "Koopalings...pranking Ike." On cue, several of them scurried out from where he'd emerged, followed less than a second later by a very enraged Ike, whose hair and armor were covered in various pie fillings and pieces of crust. Ragnell was in his hands, and enveloped in blue flames.

Chrom stared for a few seconds before turning back to his friend. "Er...here's probably not a good place to discuss - " An explosion from behind him was more than sufficient motivation for the pair to duck inside before continuing their conversation. Despite leaving a patch of scorched ground almost as big as Charizard, Ike's blow had missed the Koopalings, who were scurrying inside to their father's protection. The Radiant Hero cursed under his breath and stalked off to clean up and find Master Hand.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Despite whatever his role in this chapter says, I promise you that I don't hate Captain Falcon.**

 **Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!**


	3. Lucina's Story

**Author's Note:** **Flying Chariot and I have been attempting to adhere to a biweekly update schedule, but because of finals, we missed it, and for that I duly apologize. We will likely not be able to get an update out before the new year, so** **Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!**

 **I attempt to unify _Fire Emblem_ canon starting in this chapter. I've only actually played 3 games of the series, so let me now extend an invitation to correct me if I make a mistake at any point in this story.**

 **Obvious spoilers for nearly every game in the franchise, but especially _Awakening_.**

* * *

"Haha, I can't believe we got away with that!" Larry Koopa cackled as they entered the large room they shared with their father.

"Of course we would, when my intelligence formulated the attack plan," Ludwig boasted.

"Your so-called 'intelligence' didn't account for him chasing us, Ludwig," Lemmy grumbled. "And you had to drag me into it to save yourselves."

"Well, it doesn't matter, we got away with - " A knock at the door cut off Bowser Jr.'s sentence.

"Go away!" Bowser bellowed from the end of the hall, where he was assembling the last of the Koopa Clown Cars. Whoever was at the door just knocked again and again despite the Koopa family's continued ignorance of it.

"Alright, fine! I'll answer the damn door!" Bowser roared in frustration and threw his tools down, stomping towards the entrance once the knocking came for a tenth time.

Outside was Master Hand, with a livid Ike behind him. One look at the Radiant Hero was enough for the Koopa king to understand why.

"Oh...uh, good afternoon, Master Hand! Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"

"You should consider yourself lucky that I do not punish language around here, Bowser. Consider yourself off the hook today. However...Larry, Ludwig, Lemmy, and Bowser Jr., I require a word with you."

"Yeah, yeah, what paperwork needs to be done this time?" The Koopa heir complained.

Master Hand swooped into the room with alarming speed, causing Bowser to throw himself to the ground instinctively, plucked the four Koopalings from their siblings, and deposited them outside.

"It seems," he began coldly, "...that you do not have the respect for others expected of Super Smash Brothers members. Do not play innocent with me; even without Ike coming to me, it takes a simpleton to figure out it was one of you. Ike merely helped me identify everyone involved. Now, since this is your first infraction, I will let you go with a warning. **But**...if you are causing trouble again for other Smashers, there will be punishment. Your father can attest to the times he has previously run across my ire."

"Is that all?" Junior complained loudly.

"That is all from me. However - " he flicked his hand and the door to Bowser's room slammed shut " - I've decided to let Ike do as he pleases, within certain limits, as a reward for your cheek. Perhaps you will learn respect then."

Ike heaved a frustrated sigh. "You are only children, and it is in the nature of children to do such things. As such, I will not harm any of you further. Do not, however, mistake my mercy for forgiveness. You will find no sympathy from me once this tournament starts." He swung Ragnell inches from their faces to prove his point; the four of them yelped and jumped back. His demonstration complete, Ike hefted the golden blade back on to his shoulder and turned to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to clean myself up."

Master Hand watched the Radiant Hero retreat down the hall before turning back to the Koopalings. "If that was excessive, I apologize; however, you must be aware that just because you are children does not mean you won't be held responsible for your actions as adults here. With a place in the Smash Brothers comes a responsibility and moral code to abide by. Do you four understand that?"

They nodded. Satisfied that they had been properly chastised, Master Hand floated down the hallway back to his office.

* * *

Lucina picked up one of the mysterious "aspirin" tablets lying on her bedstand and examined it suspiciously. Peach recommended them when the former mentioned she had a headache, and despite Lucina's protests that she could manage someone dropped them off.

While the cerulean swordswoman trusted her newfound friend, the habit of examining anything before consuming it was very deeply ingrained in her. Water and food sufficiently contaminated with the dark dust that Risen emanated was toxic and would usually result in death or direct conversion to a Risen, something Lucina witnessed herself at a young age. Thus, any food she and her allies scavenged while they were on the run was always closely scrutinized to ensure it wasn't contaminated or inherently poisonous.

Not knowing whether to make head or tail of this strange consumable, Lucina set it back down despite being sorely tempted by the prospect of relief from her headache. Instead she just drank some of the water that came with the tablets, saving the rest for later in case she changed her mind.

With a sigh she lay down, hoping it would go away of its own accord. Inevitably what thoughts she could formulate through the haze of pain focused on Chrom.

She should have been overjoyed to be reunited with her father, but all she felt was a sense of disbelief. Maybe because of the setting in which their reunion had occurred, and Lucina had barely known her father when he died in her time. It was when she was very young, just past her fifth birthday.

She felt her eyelids getting heavy. It must be near midnight in Ylisse. Lucina tried to think of something else: if she fell asleep now she would almost certainly have another nightmare. They almost always happened whenever she was thinking about...anyone she'd lost, really, so they happened frequently. She tried to shift her focus but she was already drifting into sleep...

* * *

"Mommy, can I have my sword back?"

Not even a few minutes after she'd gotten herself hurt and the little girl was already over it. "Sweetie, you just got yourself hurt. Perhaps it's best if you take a break?"

"I promise I'll be more careful this time. Can I please have it back?" Lucina stared at her mother with puppy eyes.

Sumia pretended to ponder her request. "Do you promise to be careful? Your father would be very worried if he find out you hurt yourself." She teasingly lifted the wooden sword, modeled after her husband's weapon and given by Robin for Lucina's fourth birthday, out of her daughter's reach.

"I promise, and Daddy doesn't need to know, you told me so before! Can I _please_ have it back?"

Sumia chuckled. "Alright, just stay near me, okay?" Lucina practically yanked the toy out of her mother's grasp before continuing to hack at a training dummy with it. The queen watched her, trying to be happy but only managing worry about Chrom's whereabouts. He'd told her it would take a few days at most to reach the Dragon's Table, and it had been more than a week since his departure. Suddenly a servant rushed over and whispered something in her ear.

"Take Lucina back to her room," she ordered. "And send them here."

"Mommy? What's going on?" Sumia didn't answer, and was staring skywards. "Mommy?"

"Come, Lucina, your mother wants you to go to your room." The servant took the little girl's arm gently and tried to lead her away, but she resisted.

"Mommy, what's happened?" The servant tugged a little more forcefully this time, but Lucina wrenched her arm out of the former's grasp. "Is Daddy back?" The servant tried to pull Lucina away again. "No! I don't wanna go!"

"It is your mother's orders, child - !"

"Let her stay if she insists," Sumia said quietly, still gazing skywards.

"But, milady - "

"I fear the time for shielding her may have passed. You are dismissed." The servant considered arguing before turning around and walking inside.

A small group of badly-battered Shepherds soon entered the courtyard. Sumia roused herself abruptly. "Are you all that returned?"

Cordelia nodded. "For now. The Plegians are likely still hunting the rest. We...we were betrayed. Most of us managed to escape, but because we had to retreat quickly we were scattered. Most of the standard army was caught by surprise, too. The Shepherds still behind enemy lines have command of over half of our remaining forces. Lon'qu pulled off a miracle somehow."

Flavia, leaning on her sword as a crutch, spoke next. "I should have known...not to trust that bastard Robin..."

"Flavia, watch your language, Lucina is here!" Sumia scolded.

"You should send her away before we discuss anything further, milady," Frederick advised.

"If what has been relayed to me is all true, then I fear the time for innocence has passed for her. She will need to learn the realities of the world she lives in. It pains me to force her to at such a young age, but she is Ylisse's future. We cannot afford to wait. It is only a matter of time before the current line of succession is killed off."

Lissa stepped forward. "S-Sumia...I managed to take this off of Chrom before we had to flee." She unfolded Chrom's cape to reveal Falchion in its scabbard wrapped within.

The pegasus knight gazed at it and put one hand on it before withdrawing it with a sigh. "Then all hope is not yet lost. The Fell Dragon can be sealed by the Awakening, and as long as we have the Falchion and Fire Emblem, there is a chance of it happening, however remote."

"Milady, Validar seized the Fire Emblem from us as well. All we have is the Falchion," Frederick informed her.

Lucina, who had heard all of this without understanding a word of it, suddenly tugged on her mother's leg. "Mommy, I see Daddy's sword, but why is Aunt Lissa holding it? Where is Daddy? And the rest of his friends?"

A tense silence filled the air. Nobody wanted to speak, for any words said at this moment would scar the little girl far deeper than any sword could. She would never again be a child after that.

Eventually, Sumia broke it. "Lucina, please go to your room. I will explain later."

"But you just said I could stay!"

"Lucina," her mother repeated more firmly, "Go."

"Fine." Lucina pouted but obeyed, walking unsteadily back into the castle. The lurking servant went over to help her. The Shepherds watched her go, very much aware that this would be the last time they would ever see Sumia's child a child.

* * *

Lucina lay in bed, feigning sleep so as to not rouse the servant. It was a common tactic that she used; wait until the servant had fallen asleep and then she could do as she pleased as long as she wasn't caught.

Suddenly the door opened and Sumia entered, holding the remains of Chrom's cape with Falchion wrapped inside. "I had a feeling you were still awake. Are you alright, sweetie?" She tried for a smile that Lucina's young mind interpreted as genuine.

"I wanna see Daddy," Lucina complained. "I thought he was back, where is he?"

"Sweetie..." Sumia sat down on her bed and took the little girl's hands in hers. "Your father is...gone."

She stared back at her mother, not understanding. "But he came back! His friends are here, so he should be too!"

"Lucina..." Sumia's grip tightened a little. "He's...not coming back this time."

"But he's unbeatable! He's the best there is!"

"Not anymore, it seems." Sumia let go of her daughter's hands. "I...I was told...he wanted you to have this, as his last request. He thought about you until the very end." She unwrapped Falchion and it sprawled onto the bed between them.

Lucina looked up at her mother, tears welling in her eyes as she finally understood. Her father had always kept his weapon at his side in war and peace, according to what her mother told her. If it was in front of her right now, then he was truly gone. But she just couldn't accept it. "I-Is he gone, Mommy?"

Sumia moved Falchion out of the way and embraced her daughter. "I...I'm afraid he is, sweetie."

There was nothing but the sound of Lucina crying for a few minutes. Sumia herself was in such a great state of grief that she couldn't find words to soothe her daughter. And really, what was there she could say? Her children would grow up without their father's love, raised by nursemaids and servants more than their actual parents. With Plegia all but certain to invade and the Fell Dragon himself leading it, she wasn't sure she would survive long enough to see her children mature, let alone be able to spend time with them like a parent should. The same would probably happen to majority of the Shepherds, and at any rate she wasn't going to burden them with her familial duties. Cynthia, who was only a few months old, would grow up without beholding the sight of her father once.

Then there was the matter of Robin. He'd always been a favorite of Lucina's. He always had some way to fascinate the little child with either magic displays or stories. How was she going to explain to her daughter that her self-proclaimed best friend had turned out to be a spy working to bring doomsday upon the world? That he had personally murdered her father and slewn his friends as they stood in shock? That he was now one with the Fell Dragon that their religion proclaimed as the most evil being in existence and was out for their blood?

 _"No...better that she never have a chance to know about that. I will see to it that his name is isolated from the full extent of his actions. I do not wish to burden my daughter further; hearing news of her father's death is hard enough. She will soon learn Robin went the same way...of sorts."_

"M-mommy, c-can you s-stay with me?" Lucina begged in between sobs.

She passed her daughter her hankerchief. "Of course, Lucina. A mother is always there for her daughter. But I have things to take care of first. I'll be back soon, I promise." Sumia stood up to dismiss the servant, passing on her order to keep Robin's name out of the history books to the latter before sending her out. As soon as she was alone with her daughter Sumia lay down next to Lucina and put her arms around her.

"It's okay. Mommy has you now. You're safe."

Sumia drifted off to sleep soon, but Lucina lay wide awake, her gaze alternating between the door and Falchion laying at the foot of the bed. Had it been lighter, she would have noticed the material the blade was wrapped in was her father's cape, and seen the hole burned through it by Robin's magic.

Alas, it was dark, and Lucina's hopes to see her father again persisted throughout the sleepless night. For a whole five hours, she managed to cling to the hope that he was still alive, only for them to be crushed when daybreak came and revealed the truth laying at the foot of her bed...

* * *

Lucina's eyes snapped open and she instinctively snuck a glance around before moving. The unfamiliar surroundings around her made her panic for a few seconds before she remembered where she was.

 _"I made it back into the past. Things are under control for now. I'm in a tournament called the Super Smash Brothers. There's no enemies here."_

Her hair and face were wet in places and she realized she'd been crying while asleep. The princess sighed and wiped her eyes of the residual moisture. While it was reassuring to know that she had a chance to change the fate of her family and country, that only made her nightmares increase in frequency and vividness, reminding her of how much was at stake if she failed.

She sat up and reflexively raised her arm as the sun shone its last rays through her window and onto her. It must be past dinnertime already. Remembering what she had promised Marth earlier, Lucina took a minute to tidy herself and grabbed the map of the mansion grounds that Peach had given her before leaving her room.

 _"Hm,"_ she mused, tapping her lip with one finger. _"There's more than one lounge in this mansion. Perhaps I should head to the cafeteria and see if I can't get any clarification. That's probably the most likely place for anyone to be, and anyway, it's been a while since I've eaten."_

There were a number of people eating, but she didn't see any of the _Fire Emblem_ representatives. Nor did she see Peach, Zelda, or Link anywhere. Lucina sighed and resigned herself to sitting alone as she examined the menu.

Several of the other Smashers passed by on their way to various locations as she ate, and though they all acknowledged her by name, none joined her. Captain Falcon's greeting stood out, as he gave her a casual wave and a smile, which surprised her given that she'd tried to attack him mere hours ago. She tried to apologize about the earlier incident, but at the moment her mouth was full of food and he'd moved on by the time she'd swallowed, leaving her to question whether he had genuinely gotten over it.

"Hello, Lucina." A new voice made her look up.

"Hello...Link and...Zelda, right?" They nodded to confirm that Lucina had gotten their names right as the sat down. "My apologies, there are a lot of names to remember."

"Don't worry about it," Link said dismissively. "It's only if you can't remember it a year from now that you should start worrying."

"Um...thank you...?"

He just laughed. "We'll need to work on that sense of humor. Anyway, Falcon wanted me to pass a message. He says he's sorry about what happened earlier, though he did conveniently leave out that Chrom forced him to at swordpoint. For just finding out he's a father, he's being quite protective of you."

"Link! Don't embarrass her!" Zelda scolded.

Lucina shook her head. "It's alright. He was always willing to put his trust in others dogmatically..." Her voice trailed off as she pondered a thought that occurred to her.

"Is something wrong, Lucina?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was thinking. Anyway, everyone here seems to know about me, but I don't know about you. What's your story?"

"Well...that's a bit difficult to explain - " Link began.

"There are numerous incarnations of us," Zelda explained. "Some are descendants of others that bear the same name, others come from alternate worlds, there are many sources."

Before Lucina could respond there was a splat followed by yelling. The two voices sounded very similar, and, indeed, their owners looked similar too save for the fact that one of them was wearing black and the other white. Behind the two boys stood two women, one with green hair and the other with blonde, both of whom were watching the argument unfold with amusement.

"What're you going to do about it, Pittoo?"

"Grr...Don't call me that!"

"Pittoo, Pittoo..."

"Shut the hell up!"

"Are you really letting such childish taunting get under your skin, Dark Pit?" the green-haired woman asked with amusement.

"Augh! Not you too! That's it..." he stormed towards them and dragged Link and his chair away. Lucina stood up and reached for Parallel Falchion to defend the Hero of Hyrule, but Zelda stopped her.

"Relax, Dark Pit means no harm. You'll see."

"Oh?" The white-clothed one raised an eyebrow as his counterpart returned.

"Do not make me use this on your face, Pitstain," the latter snarled. "On second thought, there's no harm in it. Master Hand won't be able to tell the difference; your face is fucked up to begin with!"

"Hey, by extension, that means yours is too!"

"Ah...Dark Pit, might you reconsider?" the blonde-haired woman asked. "It would be such a waste of a handsome boy if you did..." She stared at Link fawningly, earning an eye roll from the latter.

"Erm...thanks, Viridi?" Pit asked, having missed the subtle exchange between the Goddess of Nature and the Hero of Hyrule.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Link!" She cackled at the expression on Pit's face. Many of the others were following suit, while Dark Pit crossed his arms and threw a smug look at his counterpart.

Zelda put a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter while Lucina looked horrified.

"They can just insult him like that and get away with it here? Why doesn't he do something?"

"Calm yourself, Lucina, they're only teasing - Lucina, wait!" But it was too late to stop her from marching into the crowd.

"That's enough! If you do not mind, I would like to finish my meal in peace!"

"Well, well," Dark Pit sneered. "If it isn't the clone."

Lucina's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're just a ripoff of Marth, nobody's scared of you."

"Correction: a flat gender swap of Marth," Viridi taunted from the sidelines.

Thankfully, Pit intervened on her behalf, having finally recovered some semblance of composure. "Like you're one to talk, Pittoo! You're _literally_ a copy of me!"

Before he could round on Viridi, Dark Pit snarled and took a step forward. "That's it!" His Electroshock Arm suddenly appeared on his left hand. "I'll make you regret every instance you used that term!"

"Yeah, real mature of you to get physical," Pit taunted.

"Grrr -!"

"Alright, you've both had the chance to blow some steam off, now break it up!" the green-haired woman stepped forward, catching Dark Pit's arm as he swung it, causing him to lose his balance and fall as the former let go. Pit stuck his tongue out; unfortunately for him the gesture was not missed. The green-haired woman tipped her staff forwards and Pit's wings suddenly glowed, whisking him out of the room against his will, if his yells were any indication.

She turned to Link and Lucina with a sigh. "I hope these two haven't left too poor of an impression of us upon you. I am Lady Palutena, Goddess of Light and ruler of Skyworld. Behind me is Viridi, the Goddess of Nature. I trust you already know which of the two children before us is Dark Pit and which is Pit."

"Well, it seems you two already know a bit about me, miladies," Lucina bowed to Palutena and Viridi. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, however I cannot stay long as I have to be somewhere soon." The princess started back to her table.

"Alright, farewell for the present, then, Lucina."

"Viridi, I think you owe her an apology and a thank you for forgiving your insults so quickly," Link growled as he turned to follow. "Also, that was rather rich of you to call her flat when you don't look a day over ten."

The goddess of nature went red at his comment, but as Link was already gone there wasn't any point to retorting.

"Lucina...I don't want to say it, but - "

"You told me so. I get it, Zelda," the princess said flatly as she returned.

"Ah, can't be all bad, at least you have Pit as another friend now, Lucina," Link surmised as he sat down. "Besides, Viridi won't be nearly as bad as long as I'm around."

"What? How can you be sure of that?" Link rolled his eyes again while Zelda sighed.

"It doesn't matter, just know that it won't happen again," the former said.

They ate in silence for a few moments before Lucina spoke. "Um...Marth asked me to meet him in the lounge, but there's multiple in the mansion. Would either of you happen to have some insight into which one he meant?"

"Probably the one on the second floor," Link replied. "You leaving now?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to. See you later." They muttered goodbyes and Lucina sighed with relief as she took her plate to the dish return. At least she didn't seem to be hopeless at communicating with others.

* * *

Lucina arrived at the location Link specified five minutes later and almost ran into Marth at the entrance.

"Oh, hello, milor - Marth. My apologies for being late."

The Hero-King waved it off. "The fault is mine. I was about to find you to clarify where we were, but it seems there is no need now." He gestured inside. "After you, Lucina."

Ike, Robin, and Chrom were seated in a semicircle of chairs by the fireplace. Lucina sat down at one end, on her father's right, while Marth took the last empty seat directly across from her.

Her father spoke first. "Lucina - "

"Father, if it's about what transpired this afternoon, was that really necessary? I appreciate that you are looking out for me, but I am a grown woman."

"While I would like to have a word with you later about it, that is not what I was about to say." There wasn't the slightest hint of admonishment or irritation in Chrom's voice, but Lucina felt her insides twist with guilt and she lowered her gaze.

"...Anyway, Lucina, you delivered a warning to me the night of your arrival in our time. Something about a 'horrible calamity' - "

"Hold on, there has to be more to you than just your relevance to Chrom's timeline," Ike interrupted.

Robin spoke up. "I heard from some of the veterans that you guys have an archive that includes history of the contestants, wouldn't such information be included there?"

"Well, Master Hand wasn't exactly specific - "

"Ike, do you think she returned to the past for some sort of leisure trip? Obviously terrible things happened in her world, otherwise she wouldn't leave it, let alone travel back in time to change the course of destiny! And if you had actually read the bio in the archives, you would have discovered that it was among the most dire of circumstances!" Lucina felt a rush of gratitude towards Marth for coming to her defense.

Ike raised his hands in apology with a sigh. "Guilty as charged. Please continue, Lucina."

"Marth's description of events would not be incorrect. In the future, the Fell Dragon Grima is resurrected. His roar is a death knell for mankind, a scream that silence all hope."

"What became of us?" Robin inquired.

"From what I have gleaned, the Shepherds lead four divisions of the Ylissean army into Plegia to stop the resurrection, but they were betrayed and the force thrown in disarray. Less than half that entered returned, and many of them were lost in the war that followed."

"All of us...dead?" Robin repeated in disbelief. Lucina nodded and continued.

"After the dragon's resurrection, Plegia launched an invasion, one that Grima lead personally. Between the struggle to fell Gangrel and the Holy War waged by my grandfather, their armies were still smaller than the ranks left behind to guard Ylisse, but the Fell Dragon's power more than evened the odds. Not only could he raze entire companies in one strike, according to one battle report, but he could resurrect fallen warriors from both sides using dark magic, turning them into mindless slaves bound to his will. We called them Risen."

"Lucina, were these...Risen akin to the creatures that attacked us when you arrived?" Chrom asked.

She nodded. "They preceded me into the portal, there was nothing I could do to stop them without risking my friends. I'm sorry, father."

"It's nothing to be worried over. At the very least, we have some prior knowledge."

Robin nodded in assent. "If Grima's return is imminent in our time, and these are his soldiers of choice, we will need that knowledge to combat him. For all we know, he could be building Plegia's ranks with them."

Marth spoke up. "If Grima is a dragon, then he should be no different from the others. Since he has no physical form at the moment, I doubt that he would have the strength to summon any of these Risen. Though how he came to be is beyond me; only Degenerated Dragons were hostile to mankind in my time, and all of them were sealed or killed off by mankind."

Lucina shook her head. "Legend has it that Grima was a human/dragon hybrid, born of the power of the dragons themselves. I have heard it said that depends upon a human form for existence in the physical world, but I have only seen him as a dragon, so I assume that his human and dragon forms can act independently, which makes him even harder to subdue."

Chrom nodded. "I have heard of these legends, too. Should Grima arise the only thing that could stop him would be the completed Fire Emblem in tandem with the Falchion to perform the Awakening."

It was Ike's turn to chime in. "Chrom, Marth's existence precedes yours by several millennia, but you live in the same territories. When you say 'Fire Emblem,' would you perchance be referring to the Shield of Seals? If you are, I must warn you that it is quite dangerous to attempt to reunify the gems with the Shield due to a curse on the latter. Marth has told me that it dooms the wielder to ill fortune, hence why he did not bring the Shield here."

"The Fire Emblem was reforged a thousand years prior to our time by the first Exalt, specifically to purify it of the curse," Chrom explained. "The Falchions that Lucina and I wield are also of differing appearances than yours due to the original design being lost to history at around the same time. The blade itself is the same, and the hilt and scabbard are also blessed with high durability, however because of the nature of the Awakening and the power that it imbues upon the sword, they suffer extreme wear and hence the design was altered to an easier-to-replicate one."

Marth looked impressed. "I see. Well, it seems that I have sidetracked the conversation. Lucina, I apologize for interrupting your narrative, please continue."

She took a breath before continuing. "With endless amounts of Risen at Grima's command, we could not hope to make a stand, even after a draft had been issued and Regna Ferox joined the fight. My mother managed to form an alliance with the nations of Valm, but Grima discovered the alliance and began to ravage Valm instead. As Plegia was the only country on the Ylissean continent with ships left and large armies of Risen continued to assault us after Grima's departure, we were not able to travel to Valm to aid them, and few soldiers of any nationality managed to escape to Ylisse. Fortunately, Grima's attention had been diverted to Valm before he could devastate either Ylisse or Ferox completely, so we were able to build up our armies."

"What of the nations of Tellius?" Ike inquired. "I find it hard to believe that Crimea would sit on its hands while the apocalypse rages."

"I do not know what befell the other continents, however Grima spent several years abroad, presumably ravaging them. Many refugees came to Ylisse seeking a safe haven from his wrath, and after a few years the Risen armies had been largely wiped out. Once we had rebuilt our forces, we began to focus on how to defeat Grima. As the Fire Emblem itself had been left in Plegia due to the betrayal of the Shepherds and already had four of the five gemstones, the plan was to muster all forces for a push into Plegia to recover it and search for the last gemstone, and perform the Awakening once that was done. I was drilled relentlessly on how to perform the Awakening in preparation as I was the oldest member of the Exalted bloodline alive that could wield Falchion."

"It seems like a feasible plan to me. What happened?" Robin asked.

"We recovered the Fire Emblem, but one of the gemstones was destroyed. In addition, Grima discovered our plan."

"What? How is that possible? The gems are imbued with the power of Naga herself, they are indestructible!" Marth exclaimed.

"I know not how, Marth. Without any hope of performing the Awakening and Grima's wrath refocused upon us the end came quickly. All our preparations were for naught; though most of the Risen on the Ylissean continent had been exterminated during the Interbellum, as the period after Grima's departure became known as, the Fell Dragon brought legions of them with him upon his return. We were overwhelmed. Naga spoke to us and said there was only one hope: to travel back into the past and alter history so that Grima's resurrection could not come to pass, and that she had spend the Interbellum devising a ritual that would allow us to do so. The four gems in the Fire Emblem would be able to channel enough of Naga's power through an incomplete Awakening to open the portal to the past. I studied the events of the past in as close detail as possible so we would know when to intervene and what to do."

"Wait, so what of the assassins in the palace that you saved me from?" Chrom asked.

"You would have survived the attack, but you would have been left gravely injured. And those injuries would play a part in the tragedies that followed."

"Then you have already changed history, it seems," Ike spoke for the first time in a while.

"If things have indeed changed," Lucina surmised grimly. "I was only able to forestall Emmeryn's death, not prevent it. It seems the river of time favors its original course. Perhaps I did not intervene enough...or the task is simply too great..."

"Don't dwell on these things, you did your best." Chrom gently squeezed her arm.

"Information is the most valuable weapon of war, Lucina. Now that we have prior knowledge of what awaits us, we can aid you in reshaping the future," Robin added. "And you mentioned that there are others who might have made the journey with you. Perhaps we could seek their aid as well; every additional hand we can enlist in our struggle will make the task easier."

She shook her head. "While what army we had left was traveling to Mount Prism so that I could perform the Awakening, we were attacked. My mother, along with all of the other Shepherds with children, held off the Risen long enough for me to complete the ritual and for Naga to open the portal, however they...th-they refused t-to accompany us." She took a minute to compose herself before finishing her narrative. "Only the children entered the portal. I went through first and ended up where we met, but the others entered behind me and I know not of their fate save that they have not shown as of yet. We must fear the worst, especially since none of them have a weapon as robust as Falchion to defend themselves."

"The last thing to die will always be hope, Lucina," Marth said as he stood. "If you have given up hope, then there is no chance of finding them as you will not exert the effort to. But so long as hope remains, so too does the chance that they are alive. Think on the positive side: you have a chance to erase the world you fled from reality. Despite all that you have been through, Lucina, I have faith in you."

"Robin is quite correct in that the forewarning you have given is vital. " The Radiant Hero put a hand on her shoulder, causing the princess to jump slightly at the unexpected touch. "You did the right thing, even if it was hard for you, Lucina. I am honored that such a strong-willed woman has decided to trust me," Ike proclaimed.

"Th-Thank you f-for the advice, Ike," she stammered, still slightly flustered by the contact. He returned her thanks with a brief smile before he left the room with the Hero King.

"Unfortunately, I cannot stay. Tomorrow the veterans have affairs to attend to, and I want to make sure that I am prepared. Goodnight, Lucina," Ike said over his shoulder as he left with Marth.

Robin left with much less wordplay shortly afterwards, leaving Chrom alone with his daughter.

"...Father, about earlier - "

"It's alright. I understand that having people look out for you in this way is a bit of a new thing for you. I just have a question to ask: do you want me to?"

She looked up. "Wh-what?"

"Lucina, I...I feel obligated to make up for the times I wasn't there for you when you were young. For making you go through everything. But if it makes you uncomfortable -oof!" He grunted as she lunged at him and embraced him with a vicelike grip.

"F-father, th-thank you!" she cried into his shoulder. Once she had calmed down, she continued. "I-I'm grateful you feel such an obligation to protect me. But I would prefer that I learn for myself. Experience is often the best teacher."

Chrom chuckled. "I would certainly agree with that sentiment. Very well, Lucina. I shall respect your wish, within certain limits." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I want you to look me in the eyes and listen closely: you are not to date anyone or have intimacies with _anyone_ without my permission, understood?"

"Yes, Father." She wasn't worried about the restriction; this was a tournament after all, not a social event. She was more worried about what her father might do to people like Captain Falcon, although mostly because it would likely land Chrom in trouble with Master Hand.

"Good. I trust that you wouldn't do such a thing behind my back anyways, but I want to be clear where the line is drawn."

"Very well. Goodnight, Father."

"Lucina, before you leave, I have one other matter to discuss. Since the tournament doesn't start for a week, I was planning on returning to Ylisstol until then. Would you like to return with me?"

"Of course I would, Father. I don't think either of us wants to keep this news from Mother." There was a trace of longing in her voice.

"Very well, I will talk to Master Hand and see if we can arrange that after the welcome ceremony tomorrow."

"I appreciate it, Father. Goodnight." Lucina left the room, leaving Chrom to ponder her story. If she had studied recorded events in detail there was bound to be more. Oh well, if Master Hand had taken precautions to ensure that the tournament wouldn't be disrupted by events in Ylisse, he would have time to extract the full story from her. The tale beggared belief, yet he knew with a certainty he rarely felt that it must be true. There was only one Falchion; even Marth's weapon was just an older version of his. And he'd remembered seeing her emerge from a portal in her disguise...circumstances surrounding her arrival were too strange for him to suggest any alternatives, and besides, why would she lie to her father?

 _"Father_ _..."_ he sighed audibly as his train of thought switched tracks. _"If this is how things have turned out for her, then I failed her just as my father failed Em, Lissa, and I. I vowed never to make the same mistake with my own children...but it seems fate had other ideas."_

Lucina didn't blame him for anything that had happened. That alone was more than he could have asked for. Chrom lowered himself to one knee and drew Falchion, holding the weapon by the hilt with his right hand and the flat of the blade in his left. While he considered himself in-line with Ylissean religion, he wasn't one to pray to Naga often outside of public ceremony. But he felt that this was one of those rare times.

 _"Naga...if you are listening, grant me but one selfish request. Give me the strength to change fate. To give my daughter, both the yet-to-be-born and the woman she will become, a better future than what is in store for them. I may have been a father for less than a day, but I love my daughter more dearly than anyone save my wife. Naga, in your name I pray, give me the strength to protect those dear to me..."_

He repeated his prayer twice before standing and heading back to the room he shared with Robin, sheathing his weapon as he left.

* * *

Lucina closed the door behind her and removed the fastener for her cape. She then loosened the strap that held her weapon to her and removed it, though she held the scabbard in one hand. The removal of Parallel Falchion's strap was followed by the rest of her attire as she changed into a tunic. Grabbing one of the historical scrolls from her rucksack, she sat down at the desk in one corner of the room and looked around for a candle to light.

There weren't any, but there was a strange-looking device on the desk with a switch of some sort. Remembering something Peach had told her earlier, Lucina flipped it and the desk was bathed in yellow light. Satisfied, Lucina began to study its contents despite having nearly memorized them word-for-word.

 _"There must have been something overlooked here...the future can be changed...it **must** be changed..."_

Suddenly rather loud and off-key singing came from outside in the corridor. Lucina recognized the voice as Kirby's.

"Hey, shut the hell up, puffball!" Another voice yelled from down the corridor. She wasn't sure, but Lucina guessed it was either Ganondorf or Bowser by the language. Kirby paid no mind and kept singing. A few moments later there was a yell of frustration and a door slamming. The princess couldn't tell what melody the pink creature was singing, but she had to admit he wasn't doing a very good job, which was only making her more distracted.

This continued for a number of minutes until she heard Master Hand's voice ordering Kirby to practice whatever he was singing inside his own room. The two sounded like they had gotten into an argument before Master Hand finally relented and agreed to get him a sack of tomatoes from the kitchen and the hallway had quieted. Relieved that she could get back to her task, Lucina returned her attention to the scroll on the desk in front of her, but her mind was hazy and her eyes read the words without comprehending them. It didn't help that the room was rather warm.

Giving up after a few moments, she rolled the scroll back up, carefully placed it back in her rucksack with the others, turned off the light, and climbed into bed. Despite her weariness the guilt of shirking her duty tugged at her mind. She tried to push it away and get some sleep, but it was a while before her exhaustion overcame it.

 _"What I wouldn't give sometimes to live as carefree as Kirby..."_

* * *

 **Author's Note: I can relate, Lucina.**


	4. Family Reunion

**Author's Note: Firstly, I'm very sorry that I wasn't able to get something before now, holidays are so much more stressful now that your family wants to show you off as a model to those who are still in K-12.**

 **Secondly, I am going to be picking up the pace a little bit here now that setup is done.**

 **Standard disclaimer: _Awakening_ spoilers continue here.**

 **Chapter-specific disclaimer: Lyrics and translation of _Brawl_ 's main theme are property of Nintendo and the composers.**

 **I realize I've been a bit fishy on under what circumstances I use Mega Man to refer to the character and when I refer to him by his real name, Rock. I would like to point out now that I have been using Mega Man to refer to him when armored up, and Rock as his normal form. Other characters (ex. Elec Man) won't adhere to this distinction of narration, however.**

* * *

"Settle down, please!" Master Hand's voice echoed across the courtyard and the chatter amongst the Smashers died immediately. "Before we begin, I would like to take a moment to welcome you all, veteran or newcomer, again to the Super Smash Brothers! Now, then, let us begin with the anthem, performed graciously by the Smash Village choir and orchestra! Feel free to join in if you are so inclined!"

As his brother was speaking, Crazy Hand swooped into the crowd and yanked Kirby away. The pink puffball struggled but to no avail as he was dragged back into the mansion. Some of the Smashers sighed audibly with relief; as he'd been given the unexpected treat of hearing Kirby's singing first hand last night, Rock shared their sentiment. Though, he knew the former didn't mean any harm and thus refrained from making any comments aloud.

Master Hand positioned himself above a rather crude podium (with a cardboard box for a base) and raised himself. Crazy zoomed back outside to join his brother and the pair of them began to conduct the orchestra. Meanwhile, the lyrics of the choir, written in golden letters, were being formed above them, outlined against the blue sky. Some of the newcomers were exchanging confused looks, but Rock recognized the language as Latin. A translation of the lyrics was being written below the original.

 _Audi famam illius / I've heard legends of that person_  
 _Solus in hostes ruit / How he plunged into enemy territory_  
 _Et patriam servavit / How he saved his homeland_

 _Audi famam illius / I've heard legends of that person_  
 _Cucurrit quaeque tetigit destruens /_ _How he traveled the breadth of the land, reducing all he touched to rubble_

 _Audi famam illius /_ _I've heard legends of that person_  
 _Audi famam illius / I've heard legends of that person_

 _Spes omnibus, mihi quoque / Revered by many - I too, revere him_  
 _Terror omnibus, mihi quoque / Feared by many - I too, fear him_

 _Ille /_ _Now, that person_  
 _Iuxta me /_ _Stands at my side_  
 _Ille iuxta me / Now that person stands at my side_

 _Socii sunt mihi / Now my friends are with me_  
 _Qui olim viri fortes / Some of them were once heroes_  
 _Rivalesque erant / Some, my mortal enemies_

 _Saeve certando pugnandoque / And as we face each other in battle, locked in combat_  
 _Splendor crescit / We shine ever brighter_

Most of the veterans had joined in at the start, and by the end almost everyone save the villains had joined in. Rock had noticed Bowser swiping one of the Koopalings with his claws for joining in early in the song.

 _"Well, to each his/her own opinion. A shame, though, it's a beautiful song. I can understand why Master Hand thinks it's an appropriate anthem,"_ the android thought as he joined the others in applauding the performers.

"And now, newcomers, we have a surprise for you!" Master Hand announced once the applause had faded. "But first, I would like to make a special announcement! As you veterans are aware, some of our number were not able to return due to their agendas in their own worlds, however, I am pleased to inform you that almost all of them have found the time to return! Please join me in welcoming back the Ice Climbers, Popo and Nana, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Mewtwo, and Wolf O'Donnell!"

Mega Man noticed Fox stop applauding and shoot a sharp glare at whom he presumed was Wolf while Falco merely rolled his eyes as the former walked out. Given that both of them had been heartily applauding Mewtwo's return, he was surprised enough to consult the archives.

 _"Of course. It says that Wolf's basically their universe's version of Bass."_ There was a sudden outcry from the front of the crowd and he strained to see what was going on. Someone had flipped the box that constituted the conductor's podium over, and underneath it was a man in a gray bodysuit.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" Snake addressed the crowd as he stood, to general astonishment.

"...Moving on, now that we have welcomed back our last-minute contestants, it is time for the obligatory opening announcements! I know, I know, many of you have probably memorized what I am going to say by now, but we must draw the line for...certain newcomers." Most eyes focused on the Koopalings as he said so. Bowser Jr. wasn't fazed in the slightest and simply crossed his hands over his chest while raising his middle fingers.

To everyone's surprise, his own father beat Master Hand to punishing the troublemaker. Bowser seized his son by his stubby tail and dragged him inside. Crazy Hand shut the door after them, and after an awkward silence Master Hand started his announcements.

"So, since this is a civilized event, we do have rules in place here. I won't bore you with the entire list, which you were handed upon your arrival here anyways and should have read, but I want to especially emphasize that there is to be **no inter-world travel without my explicit permission**. You could potentially cause disastrous and usually irreversible consequences. I also want to highlight that you are not to be in another's or have anyone guests in your room past curfew without my permission. This, as always, is final!" he yelled over the expected outbreak of resentful grumbling.

"SILENCE!" Crazy Hand screamed in an ear-piercing tone. There was an immediate outbreak of pained shouts and cursing.

"That wasn't necessary, Crazy, but thank you. I have one more reminder before we get to announcements proper, although it is really more of advice: there are plenty of resources here that I have taken pains to establish, and your fellow Smashers. If you are having any difficulties, do not hesitate to use them, or ask anyone. You are among friends here, or at the very least, allies. Now then, the first tournament will start in a week; this year, Crazy and I are doing something a little different. We are hosting a triples tournament, with two veterans paired with every newcomer. Veterans, it is up to you to teach our newcomers in the ways of Smash; I leave the 'how' up to you. The full team list will be posted outside the cafeteria. That is all I have for you, thank you everyone for listening, and having a smashing day!" The two hands floated back inside while most of their audience was groaning at the pun.

"Huh, I think I'm going to find out who my partners are," Mega Man said to his brother. "Wanna come along?"

Elec Man shrugged. "Why not? It can't hurt to be acquainted with the system. I am, after all, still to play a part," he added with no small amount of pride. Rock rolled his eyes and walked inside.

* * *

"I must be off to find my partners," Robin remarked to Chrom. "I presume you'll be returning to Ylisse soon?"

"I need to remind Master Hand about it, but first I need to find Lucina."

"I saw her over with that man in the green tunic...Link, I think he's called. But, Chrom, are you sure she'll still want to come with you now that she knows the first tournament is in only a week?"

"I won't know unless I ask." The latter started off to the location Robin had pointed out.

* * *

"Yeah! I've been looking forward to this all day!" Pit exclaimed. "What about you, Lucina?" When she didn't respond he asked again.

"Pit, show a little more patience," Link admonished. "You gave her maybe ten seconds to respond. Anyways, something on your mind, Lucina?"

"Nothing much...have either of you seen my father or Robin?"

On cue, Chrom strode out of the crowd. "Ah, there you are, Lucina!" He glanced over at Link, Zelda, and Pit. "Making new friends already? That's always a good thing to do, even if they're not your partners."

"Um...yes. Father, I - perhaps I should remain here to meet my partners? I can return to Ylisse tomorrow."

"I'm sure your mother will take some time to digest the news as well, but I would prefer that she see you in person when we break it to her. Unfortunately I already have appointments to make later today, so I must return soon. Anyways, I can always ask Robin to fill you in, and I'm sure your friends here and partners would be willing to do the same."

"Father, you know that - "

"It's a good thing to strive for independence, Lucina, but it won't hurt you to trust another once in a while. If you want to stay, that is your decision; I will not reveal who you truly are until you return in person."

"That is most generous of you, Father, but I think I will return with you. You're right: learning to trust others is something I should practice." Turning to the others, she repeated her decision.

"Aw, well, don't worry, I'll get you up to speed when you get back, even if you're not my teammate!" Pit replied as enthusiastically as ever.

Zelda nodded. "I can promise likewise, Lucina. I am honored you would trust us despite having known us for so short a time."

"Thank you all for being so willing to help me. Farewell for the present." Lucina left with her father.

Pit slung his blades off his back. "Well, since we have time, how about a _m_ _ono e mono_ , no items, Final Destination, Link? We can check the list later."

"You are going to lose like you do every time," Zelda grumbled. "And then we have to deal with your post-match complaints." In contrast to her reaction, the Hero of Hyrule just drew his sword and swung it twice while spinning before sheathing it again.

"Fine. Might as well give the newcomers a live demonstration when they get there. Although you are going to lose again, Pit."

"We'll see about that!" he retorted, causing Link and Zelda to roll their eyes.

* * *

"Enter," Master Hand's voice called when Chrom knocked. "Ah, Chrom. Are you ready to return?" he said without turning around.

"Yes, we are ready," Lucina replied in her father's stead, causing the creator to turn in surprise.

"Lucina...were you not paying attention to my warning just minutes earlier?"

"Well, seeing that I accidentally revealed myself already - " Master Hand held up a finger for silence.

"Hm...well it's supposed to happen anyways, so there might not be any harm..." he mused aloud, though too quietly for Lucina to catch anything but snatches of it. "But what if her premature return should upset the timeline? No, Walhart is in the early phases of the buildup I convinced him and Excellus would be necessary to invade the Ylissean continent and Plegia lies in ruins. Even Grima's return to the past was meant to be; his incarnation from Lucina's future isn't supposed to do anything during this period...I think it should be safe to allow her to return, yes."

The princess and her father, meanwhile, were exchanging confused looks. Thee had distinctly heard the names of the Fell Dragon, Walhart, and a number of other words; while Chrom was merely confused, Lucina was starting to worry. Just how much did Master Hand know about their universe?

"Er...Master Hand, are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, I am quite fine. Anyways, since you already went back into the past, Lucina, I can't see any harm in allowing you to return to Ylisse with your father. It's just as you two left it." Master Hand made his familiar finger-parting motion and a portal appeared that lead to the palace courtyard. "Chrom, before you go, you recall that I had set up a means of communication between this dimension and yours, right?" Off the Exalt's nod, he continued, "Well, just contact me when you and/or Lucina are ready to return and I can have you back within minutes. Stay safe, you two."

Chrom stepped through unhesitatingly. Lucina made to follow and took a backwards glance. The god-hand was already back at his desk as if nothing had happened, holding a quill appropriately sized for him and scribbling furiously. The sheer oddness of the scene almost made the princess laugh, but she just turned around and followed her father.

* * *

"And here is the Trophy Rush arena. Basically, you can break blocks for coins and other stuff should the sparring room not be an adequate vent for your frustration. Do bear in mind, however, that it requires a certain number of coins to participate in," Sonic explained to Mega Man and Elec Man as they entered another portal from the stage selection room of the training center.

"Hm, there's a lot more to this tournament that I was expecting," the Blue Bomber mused.

"Yes, well, Master Hand can't organize everything, even with Crazy's help, because he's got a big enough job of keeping everything in order, including Smashville. Since a lot of the people there are also from various worlds, it gets just about as hectic; they're as crazy as us." Both of the robots raised an eyebrow.

"Anyway," Sonic quickly amended, "The point is that a lot of these mini-games were suggested by Smashers and any competitions for them are organized by us. Moving on, let's get to the official stages and tournament rules. Back this way."

They had just re-entered the stage selection room when Shadow walked out of another portal.

"Hey, Shadow, where do you think you're going?" Sonic demanded. "Master Hand said you were going to help me with the mechanics demonstration."

"Pit and Link are already at it. They can do just as good a job, and besides, Link let me go and the rules say I shouldn't even be a fighter. Take it up with him." The black hedgehog disappeared without another word. His blue counterpart sighed and motioned for his companions to follow him into a different portal.

The portal lead to a large glass dome, displaying a panoramic view of the same sky and platform cluster as the Trophy Rush arena, though in a different spot among them. Sonic gestured outside at the main fixture of the region: a series of platforms seemingly suspended in midair, with no others around them for a hundred yards. "In front of you is Battlefield, one of the eighty-three stages that Master Hand has built for this year's tournament. Most of the stage layouts are pretty similar to this: a single long, thick platform, with shorter platforms that you can traverse through over it. They also don't vary much except for platform layout and/or scenery; I'll show you the exceptions later."

He walked over to a console at one corner. "Now, as you probably guessed, this console warps you into the stage, however, you can face up to seven others at a time. If you don't have any others with you, you can also summon training dummies or computer-controlled images of other Smashers to practice against - we call them bots. The AIs can be configured to suit your training needs: If I want to practice performing a certain combo then I can set the bot to not take offensive action at all, or if I'm looking for a realistic opponent to practice on I can set it to maximum difficulty. This panel also allows you to set the match mode for either stock or timed, adjust the settings for each mode, and tweak additional preferences such as which items you want to spawn in during the match. For applicable stages there is also Omega mode, which just removes all but the thick platform and any stage hazards. A demonstration..." Sonic toggled the Omega mode command on the console and the platforms promptly disappeared. He reset the console and the platforms materialized, looking as solid as ever.

"Um...how, exactly, is that possible? Are they holograms of some sort?"

Sonic sighed. "Sorry, Rock, I'm not the right person to ask about that. Just be rest assured that it'll work, and if it doesn't talk to Master Hand. Anyway, once you're done, be sure to reset it; Master Hand gets annoyed about it when you don't for anything, but especially for official stages. Well, time to explain the rules of the tournament itself. If you'll follow me back into the stage selection room."

They stepped back through and into another stage. This one had a constantly changing background, shifting between a dawn sky and various locations in space, with no platforms but the primary one. Unlike on Battlefield, the control vestibule seemed to be suspended the platform, with only a small floor, barely big enough to fit eight people, to reassure Smashers that they weren't walking on air.

"This is Final Destination, which is the basis for the Omega configuration since not everyone wants this background when fighting," Sonic explained, unfazed by the small size of the platform despite the others' nervous glances. He leaned close to the control console and spoke. "Hey, you two, mind putting your grievances aside and giving a demonstration?"

Link waved offhandedly to his partners. "Sure, let me reset Pit's percentage. I'm below 30% so it doesn't matter."

"Hey, wait - aaah!" Before Pit could protest Link had taken two swipes at him and knocked him off stage. The former waited until the last possible moment to recover with Power of Flight, but Link was ready for it. He jumped off stage to follow him and thrust his sword underneath him just as Pit flew into it. The thrust slammed him downwards and after less than a second of falling he disappeared in a blast of blue light.

"Wait, did he just die?" Mega Man asked.

"Sort of. That's a technique called gimping, for reference. The death system is hard to precisely describe, but in short there's no permanent death here, not that it'll be an issue for a robot like you. I'll get to all of that in time." Sure enough, a small platform just big enough for one person descended from above the stage, carrying Pit, who was looking a little miffed but otherwise unharmed. Where it came from Mega Man hadn't seen, but if Omega transformations could take place in seconds then he had no trouble believing that it had literally appeared out of thin air.

"Was there any need to be disrespectful like that?" The angel grumbled as he took his position. They had a brief respite as Sonic was explaining the damage percentage mechanics.

"Has to be done in order or they won't get it," Link replied with a shrug.

"Fine, but we're switching places for the next team!"

* * *

 **Ylisstol Palace**

"Milord, may I inquire as to what Marth is doing here?"

"I'll explain later, Frederick. Where is Sumia?"

"She is waiting for you inside, milord. She thought it best to discuss any political matters in a more secluded location. I will take you to her."

To their surprise Frederick lead them to the room Chrom shared with his wife. The Exalt motioned for his daughter and loyal knight to stay outside while he entered.

Sumia sat on the bed facing away from the door, their wedding bouquet in her hands. As he watched she plucked off a petal and after considering it for a few seconds let it flutter to the floor with a sigh, giving no outward acknowledgement of her husband.

"He loves me then...?" Despite her words there wasn't a trace of hope as she plucked another petal and studied it closely. "...Or perhaps not..." The petal floated down to the ground and was replaced by another.

Puzzled, Chrom stepped inside and closed the door behind him. There was no way she couldn't have heard the clunk of wood as it slid into its frame, but she didn't turn around. Her husband approached cautiously. "Sumia...why in the gods' names are you shredding those poor flowers?"

She didn't turn to face him but audibly sniffed. "D-don't think I didn't see! You brought _her!_ Gods, Chrom, does our relationship mean _nothing_ to you?!"

"Sumia, listen to me. This will be a bit of a shock, but you deserve the truth: she is our daughter from the future."

She stared in disbelief. "...what? Chrom, how many times has it been said that you're a terrible liar?"

"Then let me fetch her to prove it." He started for the door.

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING HER IN HERE!" Sumia was on her feet now, her expression lined with such fury that it stopped her husband in his tracks. "I'll discern the truth of this myself!" The queen kept her eyes fixed on her husband as she walked out, her hands balled into fists. She yanked the door open with enough force to make it rebound off the wall and close most of the way, at the expense of her balance.

Roused from his stupor Chrom rushed to help her to her feet, but she pushed him away.

"Sumia, calm down! When have I ever tried to deceive you?"

"I will not until I know the truth! And I can get up myself!" She shoved her husband back and promptly stumbled backwards through the doorway, falling again.

Lucina knelt next to her. "Mother, are you alright?"

"Get away from me, you whore!" Lucina recoiled, horrified. Sumia waved off Frederick's offer of assistance and regained her footing, expression still livid.

"Sumia, peace!" Chrom emerged from the room. "Look into her eye and see what I have told you for yourself!"

The queen took a few heavy breaths, her glare fixated on Lucina, who stared right back despite the earlier insult, hoping her mother would spot the Mark that would validate her father's words. Sumia's anger was quickly replaced by surprise. "Y-your eye...it has the Brand!"

"Yes, the same Brand carried by all House Ylisse's bloodline. Do you see now, Sumia?"

She sighed and looked away after staring for a few more moments. "...Are you really my daughter?"

"I swear on my life," Lucina replied.

"You've grown up to be so beautiful...Oh Gods..." Sumia lowered her gaze, as the roller coaster of emotions reached a new peak. "I called you the worst thing imaginable just moments ago...I-it's inadequate, but...for what it's worth...I'm deeply sorry for what I said earlier."

Her daughter shook her head. "The fault is mine for not revealing myself to you sooner, Sumia."

"You...don't want to call me mother?"

"I - I thought you might mind."

Sumia walked up to Lucina and embraced her. "Of course not. My child may not be very old in this timeline, but I love her more than anything in the world. And that extends to you, too."

Her daughter returned the embrace. "I've missed you more than you'll ever know..." Tears began to form in her eyes again. "...Mother..."

Chrom silently beckoned to Frederick for them to leave the pair alone. The knight complied; true to his professional nature, if he had reaction to Lucina's revelation, he did not show it.

"Milord, have you considered what the political ramifications of this might be?" He asked once they had turned several corners and gone up a floor.

"That is what Robin's for, Frederick. We'll have a way to explain this that is more believable than time travel. Neither of us are going to be staying for long because of the tournament, so it can be kept from public eye for the moment. Now, when are Basilio and Flavia heading back to Ferox?"

Now they were standing on the battlement crowning the inner wall around the palace proper. "Later today, milord. The Plegian delegation that is finalizing surrender terms will be here within the hour, however."

"Right. Inform me when they do and keep them in the main hall; I will be looking over the notes Robin and I have written. You know where to find me."

"Yes, milord." Frederick bowed and headed for the main hall to await the delegation while Chrom headed inside.

* * *

 **Final Destination, Smashverse**

Sonic turned from narrating the demonstration Link was giving the unfortunate Pit. "So, that covers the mechanics of the tournaments here. Any questions?"

"Yeah. We still get hurt from any attacks here, right?"

"Well, a sword prick still feels like a sword prick, just without inflicting any physical damage. Again, I'm not sure there's any way to get used to it except participating yourself; the fact you have armor just further complicates any predictions. Fortunately, we have Link as a partner so you can get a feel for it before the tournament."

"Have I told you that your ways of placating fears are completely hit-or-miss?"

"No, and I'll take it as a compliment. Besides, you don't really have anything to worry about. I'm a hedgehog: my spikes are up there with swords. You already fought me twice and did fine."

"How about reminding me about that later, I have enough to process as it is without trying to work out how I can't remember meeting and fighting alongside you twice or attempting to scan for those memories. Even a supercomputer has limits."

Sonic chuckled and thanked Link and Pit for their demonstration before gesturing for Rock and Elec Man to follow him back into the stage selection room. "Then I hope you still have the processing power to cram the information about the assist trophies and items into your memory banks from the archives, because I can't even list half of them off the top of my head and it looks bad to read it off a list."

"Oh come on, you're supposed to be helping me here..." Rock grumbled.

Sonic shrugged indifferently. "Helping with making you part of the team. This stuff about the mechanics, Link and I already know about. You have to work harder because you're playing catch-up. Look on the bright side; you're blessed with a photographic memory. Lots of other newcomers aren't."

"Why do I get the feeling that's the only reason Link thinks this is okay?"

"It was." Sonic changed tacks at lightning speed. "Aaanyway...Link and Pit are going to be at their little spar for a while and I got nothing else for you. So you can do what you want until about 3:00. We're meeting in the lounge on the second floor."

The hedgehog had said all but the first word on one breath, leaving his partner confused. "Er...what?"

"TL;DR you're free until 3:00, meet in the second floor lounge."

Elec Man raised his eyebrows. "And what is the acronym supposed to mean?"

"Stands for 'Too Long; Didn't Read', though I don't think is appropriate use of it," Rock explained.

"Eh, I hate repeating myself. Besides, 'in short' is boring. Later!" And with that, Sonic sped off.

"Well I can see why you took a liking to him in the past, Rock."

The Blue Bomber sighed. "Yeah, I can too, unfortunately. He's like Cut Man, only more annoying at times. Anyway, I'm off to the archives to read up on the stuff Sonic talked about. Can you watch over Tango and Rush?"

Elec Man's eyes clouded and energy sizzled in his hands. "For the umpteenth time, I am not here to serve you, Rock!"

"So you want them to wander around the grounds causing mayhem?"

"Maybe you should leave them powered down or install that docility protocol."

"And how would you feel if I did that to you?" Rock's tone was dead serious.

Elec Man raised his hands in resignation. "Maybe we can find a place on the grounds for them to run around where they won't be causing too much collateral damage."

"We could put them on one of the stages that isn't in use and let them expend their energy that way."

"You know, that isn't a bad idea as long as nobody comes in and abducts them. I'll go talk to Master Hand about it; maybe he can aid in solving that problem."

"Alright, well I have studying to do." With that, they parted.

Rock walked into the archives room and the custodian handed him a tablet with the index uploaded to it along with an uplink cable. Rather than read it the Blue Bomber took the cable and plugged it into himself. It was easier to comprehend things once they were in his internal memory; the simpler the process, the easier. And with the start of the tournament a mere week away while he had learned the basics just minutes ago, speed was paramount.

Once the copy was complete he set the tablet down on a nearby table and sat down. Even though he didn't need the tablet, habits were hard to break, and habits back home were behaving and appearing like any normal human. So he kept it and set his body to scroll it down every thirty seconds or so, while flipping right whenever the screen didn't scroll down any further. Such a simple program required very little of his processing power to execute; the rest, and his consciousness, was focused on the actual task at hand. While simply having things memorized was a cinch, being able to recall the knowledge quickly, and especially under pressure, was another matter entirely, one that required careful formulation of pathways and careful allocation of information to the comparatively small short-term memory.

Nothing was ever as simple as it seemed. Others might think his robotic nature made life easier for him, but it also brought its own set of challenges and drawbacks. All of this was done instinctively, just as normal bodily functions were for humans, but all the same memorization required preparatory work. Rock initiated a self-diagnostic and decided to defragment his memory for good measure. While his systems were working their magic, he got up and walked over to the water cooler in one corner. He grabbed a paper cup, filled it, and returned, sipping it while waiting for the checks to finish. Another thing merely for appearances; any ingested food or drink was destroyed inside his fusion core by the intense heat as it provided no nutritional value. While his body could synthesize new mechfluid and repair itself using it, he hardly needed it and so the compounds were usually destroyed at the molecular level by particle collisions inside the reactor. Dr. Light had always kept the function installed, even though E-Tanks provided the energy and matter needed to boost his autorepair systems most of the time.

There was a surprisingly large amount of information about items and assist trophies, but he had time, and even if he didn't the android wouldn't have thought to rush the process. Better to do it more slowly but right the first time than have to repeat the lengthy process.

* * *

Rock raced to the lounge, almost running into Mario, Rosalina, and Yoshi in the entrance.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that."

"No worries, Mega Man." Mario gestured to let the Blue Bomber go first before his team exited.

"Hey," Sonic greeted him as the former sat down. "Done your reading?"

"Yeah. I have to say, items make things a lot more complicated."

Link shrugged. "There are tournaments that don't involve their use, but Master Hand thought it would make you newcomers better fighters if you had to deal with the added nuisance while you were still learning."

"On that note," Sonic added, "Since you already know how this works, we're going to be practicing for the rest of the week and working out team strategies."

Rock relaxed back in his chair. "Alright, what's the regimen? Practice except for food and sleep?"

"...On second thought, let's take it down a notch," the hedgehog suggested casually. "We can spend the mornings and afternoons practicing, and the evenings working out strategies."

"I'm okay with that. How about you, Link?"

The Hylian chuckled. "You're taking this tournament a lot more seriously than I imagined. We can stick to this routine until Mega Man has the basics down, then we need to adjust it when we get to training for more specific situations like walk-off stages."

"That reminds me: are we just practicing against those images...bots, Sonic called them?"

"Yes. Any sort of fighting between Smashers, whether in relation to training or not, is prohibited. I'll be setting them up in the teams that we can potentially face."

"Sounds reasonable to me. Anything else?" Sonic asked.

"I can bring one of my companions along to record our matches. I think it'll help us in formulating strategies if we see the how and why."

"Hold on, where are they going to be? On the stage?"

"Nah, I'll ask them to stay by the stage controls."

Link stood. "Very well, then, you know what to bring to practice tomorrow. I will see you two at dinner if you are so inclined."

"Aren't we going to practice today at all?" Rock asked. "It's barely past 4:00."

"Sure, I can help you with setting up a practice match," Sonic offered.

"Apologies, Mega Man, but I have other matters to attend to," Link replied.

"Don't worry about it; stuff comes up. And I'd prefer if you call me Rock, it rolls off the tongue easier in battle. "

Sonic nodded. "I can testify to that. See ya later, Link," he called over his shoulder as the blue duo left.

"So what do you make of this place so far?" The hedgehog asked once they were walking towards the stage selection room.

"Now I know how humans feel when they go to college. I've always had responsibilities to take care of back home, either at Light Labs helping my dad or dealing with Wily. Now...everything is up to me. It's a little overwhelming. I still have things to do here, but the feeling of not having other people depending on my actions is...odd."

"It'll get worse before it gets better, trust me."

"You have a very odd way of reassuring people, you know that?"

"Is everything about me that odd to you?"

"So far."

"Seriously?" Sonic protested. "I'm not _that_ strange just because I'm the only hedgehog that runs fast!"

"'Odd' is relative. Your mannerisms are certainly unique, but if I find them odd it's because of my opinions."

The good-natured squabbling continued back and forth until they entered the stage select room.

"Got any recommendations?"

"Great Cave Offensive. I'd also turn items off for your first match even if you know what they do."

"Why do I get the feeling this will be the last time I trust your stage picks?"

* * *

 **Plegia Castle**

Grima stood atop one of the turrets, staring at his own skull lying in the courtyard. It wasn't often that the Fell Dragon allowed himself to be influenced by emotion; that was inviting the formation of attachments, and those were hindrances to attaining power. But his host had a tendency to be restless when things were not progressing. Just side effects of possessing a tactician; since Robin surrendered his body willingly, there was no threat to the security of the Fell Dragon's grip.

A flash of cyan at one of the windows in the castle caught his eye. Another flash appeared in the courtyard, at the front of the skull occupying it. In its wake was a vaguely human figure that seemed to be made of cyan energy, centered around a multicolored ball of light in his chest, with violet wings of intricate design. By any account, however, he was not in good shape: his wings had been broken judging by their uneven sizes, his form flickered like a candle in breeze, and the mysterious being's body was surrounded by a pale vortex of moonlight, as though he were leaching light from the world for his own sustenance.

When he spoke his voice was quiet, but the Fell Dragon's heightened senses had no trouble picking it up in the quiet desert air. "He was not here...ever? Impossible...one of them hails from this place..."

A pause as the figure knelt and studied the skull, running a hand along it. When the fingers made contact with it they flickered and became so transparent it was nigh-impossible to discern their presence. "Another foray...my diminishing strength wasted on a fruitless search..." the voice hissed in frustration. "Perhaps Master Hand is not so above change..."

Grima left the turret railing and descended the stairs as swiftly as he could manage. Though he had complete control of Robin's body, possession inundated the host with enough dark energy to disintegrate most humans instantly, hence why he could not pick just any loyal Grimleal. Even a form with magical resistance as strong as Robin's atrophied with time. It didn't help that his physical immunities and link his god were weakened greatly by the journey back in time: At the moment Grima was capable of nothing more than standard human behavior, unable to channel power through his host for fear of destroying it.

The temptation to summon all of Plegia to the Dragon's Table now was strong, but for it to work best it required sacrifice of healthy, faithful humans. If performed now, with most of the nation's population maimed, emaciated, and thoroughly disillusioned, it would likely backfire and weaken him further if such miserable excuses for followers were consumed.

The mysterious being was still lost in his contemplations when Grima reached the courtyard. Several Plegian soldiers were observing from the shadows, but they stepped out and stood at attention when he arrived. The Fell Dragon ordered them back to their posts with a wave of his arm. While they didn't worship him like the god he was, his alias as the new Supreme Hierophant under Validar gave him nearly the same control.

The stranger didn't take notice of a half dozen armed men appearing from and then fading back into the shadows. "...no. I refuse to consider that prospect. I do not kowtow before others. I will avenge my defeat myself or die trying."

"Alright," Grima snapped as he continued to stride closer, "you have been allowed a quarter-hour in here. Now state your purpose and identity or you are under arrest, trespasser."

"The Fell Dragon himself has come to me...what an interesting turn of events," the mysterious being replied without turning.

The reply surprised him. "Then surely you know to make eye contact with me when addressed, Grimleal or not, unless you wish me to blast you into dust! Now, what is your name?" The soldiers had reemerged and were now bristling spears.

He chuckled. "Weakened though I may be, Grima, you are still no threat to me. You call yourself a god, but you are merely an exceptionally powerful hybrid. You have not seen a true god before now." He raised his arms and his body radiated a dull cyan pulse. Though visually unimpressive the color drained from the Plegian soldiers, literally, and now six black-and-white statues lay on the courtyard floor, staring vacantly into the sky.

Grima, meanwhile, was picking himself up off the ground. "What you have just witnessed requires insignificant amounts of my strength, for it takes far less energy to change what is than to wipe it from existence," the other being explained. "You see, I epitomize everything forbidden. I symbolize uniformity, sameness; I seek to eliminate war, plague, famine, all the scourges of society. To do so, that which makes life worth living must be purged, too."

"Then you have no business being here - !"

"That is where you are wrong. For we now share a common enemy: The Super Smash Brothers. I know you have an interest in two of their number."

Grima tensed. "You are merely grasping at straws."

"No. Your body is that of Robin, whom you seek to merge with in this continuity, but you are interested in the other one, in multiple ways, I may add."

A snarl left the Fell Dragon's throat. He took a minute to compose himself, lest he lose control and burn away his host body. His reply was dripping with sarcasm. "And what would an all-powerful and all-knowing being such as Your Highness need with a lower deity such as myself?"

"Oh, I am not all-powerful, not even at full strength, otherwise the Super Smash Brothers would not have defeated me. And that is why I was hoping to gain your attention. You see, we both seek to target enemies inside the realm of Smash. But that universe, or Outrealm, as you call them here, is guarded by strong barriers, magical and physical. I no longer have the strength to breach its defenses head-on after my defeat. That is why I have been traveling the various universes from which the members of Smash hail from: to find remnants of portals that Master Hand opened. These are connections that I can exploit and force open to enter the world of Smash, but he has been careful to seal them so that I cannot breach them given my current weakness."

He finally straightened and turned to face Grima. "So, I offer to ally myself with you. I offer you a way to strike at your mortal enemy and corrupt Robin with your influence; in exchange, I ask for you to lend your strength so that we may break the seal to enter. Though your body cannot handle channeling your might at the moment, I shall assist it so that you may."

"Bah, Robin's Heart is too weak. He cannot stand any interaction with my spirit without sustaining grievous mental or physical damage. One failed attempt will rouse Lucina's suspicions. But - " he licked his lips "I relish the idea of tormenting her from afar. What, may I ask, do you plan to do once you enter their world?"

"That is knowledge that will not affect your agenda."

"Very well, then. I think we have an agreement. However, I must say it is tedious to talk to one with no name."

"Surely your host's brilliant mind would have aided you in discerning it by now? You may call me Tabuu."


	5. Triples Tournament

**Author's Note: Firstly, I am really sorry this took so long. The editing for this chapter took some time, but I can promise that the normal update schedule resumes with this one.**

 **I won't be including many scenes of actual matches in this story, but this is still a tournament,** **so they will be included, or at least snippets of them will. Special events are a bit of an exception.**

 **A few notes about how the characters do battle here:**

 **-Other than certain signature moves (like Ike's Eruption) I am not following any specific movesets for this fic. Most moves derived from any moveset will be from _SSB4_ , but for the characters not present in that game, I'm using their _Project M_ movesets as inspiration. However, any inspirations for Mewtwo and Roy will be drawn from _SSB4_.**

 **-Characters with a reflector and/or shield (like Link in the latter case if you're confused) can't use a standard shield.**

 **-I will be using some _Smash_ technical terms in narrative and in speech, notably gimping and teching. If you don't know what they are, Google is your friend.**

 **-Something else to note is that Mega Man's weapons aren't going to function only as they do in _SSB4_ ; if they differ from how they are used in their source game, both applications will be featured.**

 **-As I did with _I Want In_ , all characters can switch between custom moves at will if they are physically different from the standard one (so, for instance, variations of counters are excluded) and/or not part of another character's moveset (for example, Wolf Flash will stay exclusive to Wolf here). **

**-Weapons that can be aimed, like Blasters, can be fired in any direction (multidirectional f-smash for Mega Man, I want this in-game!).**

 **-Mechanics-wise, the battles work the same way as standard Smash, but I am adding my own twist on the rules for this tournament and for others. Notably, team attack is _always_ on, because it doesn't make sense otherwise.**

 **Thank you for bearing with me through this giant A/N, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Lucina's eyes flew open, her mind already on alert as she quickly reconnoitered her surroundings. To her surprise, the sun was just rising. The digital clock - another convenient invention that Ylisse did not have - on the desk read 7:00. She sighed, hoping to have gotten more sleep. The tournament wasn't supposed to start until after breakfast, at 11:00. It was almost impossible for her to fall asleep once she woke up, a conditioning courtesy of her past routines.

The tournament. Butterflies exploded in her stomach as she remembered that today was it. A hard week's worth of drilling on the mechanics of Smash, formulating strategies with her teammates, and incessant practicing against bots would come down to these next few hours. As she started to change into her armor she noticed she had shaky hands. Hopefully the nervousness would be unfounded.

A stupefying wave of anxiety surged through her, making her stomach churn. Lucina took a few deep breaths to calm herself before resuming dressing, but her hands shook worse than ever.

 _"Don't think about it..."_ But try as she might she couldn't take her mind away from the looming prospect of her first Smash tournament.

 _"Since I'm awake, I might as well continue reading about items,"_ the swordswoman thought to herself as she strapped her weapon to her waist to complete her outfit. Although she only headed to the archives, out of force of habit she always kept Parallel Falchion with her. _"Perhaps some reading might distract me temporarily..."_

* * *

"Morning, Ike," Snake said as the Radiant Hero sat down next to him. The spec-ops soldier was eating a doughnut with mug of coffee, a stark contrast to the full plate his partner had. "You seen Lucina yet?"

The latter took a moment to swallow his food before replying. "Not yet, but we shouldn't need to worry. She's good about remembering important things." On cue the princess appeared out of the crowd and Snake beckoned her over with a wave.

"Good morning, you two," she greeted, as she sat down across the table from them.

"Morning, Lucina," the soldier replied, as Ike was busying himself with his food again. "You nervous?"

"No," she lied, picking at her food with her fork.

He chuckled and leaned forward, adopting a condescending tone. "Listen, sweetie, I'm a veteran of a lot of battles myself in addition to Smash. I know battle nerves when I see them."

Fortunately, Ike decided to take break at that moment. "What Snake means is that we all get nervous, don't let it get to you."

His comment didn't do much other than add to Lucina's embarrassment at being so easily read.

"C'mon, lighten up. You can't do your best if you're so highly-strung." Snake had abandoned his earlier tone. "Besides, we've got one of the best teams in the tournament: a projectile user, a heavy hitter, and an aggressor. Covers almost any move the enemy tries to make."

When she gave no acknowledgment of hearing his words, Ike stood and came to her side. He put a hand on her shoulder and getting down on one knee to make eye contact. "We've both been in this position before; the important thing is to overcome it. Look at me, Lucina." She obeyed, her glance alternating between darts towards the floor and making brief eye contact. "Do you think we will win?"

"Well - "

"There isn't any intermediate to this. Give me a straight answer. Do you think we will win?"

"Yes..."

"That's hardly a confident response. If you truly believe we will win, look me in the eyes and repeat after me: I think we will win." She complied, but the words left her mouth as a mumble.

"Lucina, this half-hardheartedness is not a mentality that will help you in combat! If you truly believed in our victory, you wouldn't be afraid to declare it to this room!"

"But everyone else has faced other humans in combat before - "

Ike sighed. "So you're nervous because this is different from the fighting you're used to." She nodded to affirm his guess.

"My two cents' worth: Combat is combat, regardless of who you're up against," Snake interjected. "It's only when you think back on it that the difference in adversaries means anything."

"Snake's right. Just focus on the battle itself and not who you're up against. I wish I could tell you how, but I am afraid my answer may not be yours." The Radiant Hero put his hands on Lucina's shoulders. "You are my friend, with more than her fair share of troubles already. I assure you that no one here seeks to add to them, least of all me. If someone's making things hard for you, they'll have me to answer to."

"Ike..." she raised her arms out and received the desired hug in return, although it was light and only for a moment. "Thank you. I think I am better now."

He smiled warmly at her and returned to his seat before continuing to eat. Snake glanced at him with a brief look of exasperation before the usual impassive mask was back, and he continued taking methodical sips of his coffee. Lucina picked up her fork again and started to eat. Her grip was still a little shaky, but the butterflies in her stomach felt like a pair rather than a swarm.

* * *

"Alright, it's the day you have all been eagerly anticipating!" Master Hand's voice rang out over the grounds as the Smashers assembled before him. "Now, time to explain the rules! Your goal is to take all the stocks from your opponents! Each team will have a pool of 4 stocks to share, and each KO by your team earns you one of the opposing team's! You will need to remain focused throughout the entire match, or the opposing team could make a total comeback! Of course, to keep things from dragging on for too long, we will be spawning items in at progressively faster rates as the match goes on, so don't let your guard down! Now then, the bracket if you please, Crazy!"

The other hand unrolled a giant scroll while his brother explained it. "As you can see, there are a lot of battles to do, so let's not dally any longer! As always, we will be running four matches simultaneously for the first and second seed, one at a time for the quarterfinals and semifinals, and two at a time for those in between so that you may rest and recover! Those of you participating in the first four matches, please come see Crazy or myself to draw for stage selection! Best of luck to you all, Smashers!"

"Alright, looks like we're one of the first teams up, we should go see Master Hand," Ike said to his partners, a grim expression on his face as he looked at the bracket.

"Dammit, I was hoping not to deal with _that_ team so early on," Snake growled. "We're going to have to be really quick about grabbing items."

Their opposing team, consisting of Villager, Toon Link, and Ness, already waited in front of Master Hand. "Ah, there you are," the latter said as they approached. "Well, Ness and his teammates have called heads, so here we go!" He flicked a golden coin upwards with his hand.

"Back away a little, Lucina," Ike advised. "It comes down fast because he tosses it high." Sure enough, the flash of gold as it fell from the sky was almost too fast for them to catch. Master Hand examined it. "Tails! Better luck next time, you three. Snake, let me know when you and your team reach a decision!"

"No need, we already got it figured out," Snake replied. "We'll take Town and City, normal mode."

"Very well, Town and City it is! Good luck!" Master Hand floated away and the six fighters began walking towards the stage selection room, keeping with their teammates and giving the other team enough space to ensure they weren't overheard.

* * *

"Fighters! On my mark... 3...2...1...GO!" Master Hand's voice echoed from a hidden location.

Toon Link unleashed his arrow then rolled aside as Ness threw a PK fire to stop any retribution. But Lucina had anticipated their strategy and approached using the platforms. Ness barely dodged her landing strike and his retaliatory hit fell far short of the range of Falchion's blade. Villager knocked Ike down with a Lloid Rocket before turning around to help his teammate, and Ness let loose a PK Flash for his teammate to pocket.

But instead of pocketing the projectile, when Villager reached out, the air around Lucina warped and she vanished from sight with a cut-off scream. Immediately the fighting stopped.

Villager blinked. "That...wasn't supposed to happen..." He tried to take her out of his pocket, but there was nothing in it. "...neither was that..." Most odd. He could see her struggling inside, (even feel it as she stabbed at the inside of the pocket), but he couldn't seem to take her out...

"Unpocket her!" Ike demanded, towering over him.

"I tried! I don't know what's going on!"

"Do I have to state the obvious? Turn out your pocket!"

Villager stuck his hand back in and tried but it refused to budge. Meanwhile his pocket started squirming more frantically as if underscoring his own desperation. He had to get her out before Master Hand got the wrong idea...

"Villager, what did I tell you about appropriate uses of pocketing?"

"I swear I didn't do it! I don't know what's going on!" Villager panicked and took a step back as Master Hand made a finger-gun gesture and shot a bolt of energy at him. When it struck Lucina appeared back on the stage with a flash.

"It seems I was wrong to trust that you would use your Pocket within the guidelines I specified, Villager. From now on, I will set them for you; it's not even a minute into the first tournament and you're already causing trouble. Disqualification!"

"Master Hand - !" Toon Link protested.

"Not another word! Out with you and your teammates! NOW!"

Toon Link was about to object again but Villager stopped him. "No, he's right. I don't know what happened, but if I don't know what I'm doing then it's a risk to everyone else." He turned to the opposing team. "I know you probably don't believe a word of what I said, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry." He tossed his teleporter beacon down and was warped away. Ness and Toon Link followed, the latter looking rather annoyed.

Snake made to follow, but Ike stopped him and pointed at Lucina, who sat facing away from them. One arm was around her knee, the other on her chest. She took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly.

"Something wrong, Lucina?" Snake asked.

She took another breath and stood. "What was inside...was clearly not meant for humans."

"Well, since it multiplies the damage of anything he pockets, I'd imagine so."

Ike shot him a glare and came to her side. "Do you want me to get Dr. Mario? He can give you something to help you forget that memory - "

"No, I just need a little time to put it from my mind."

"If you insist. We have an hour until our next match, do you want to practice?"

"Yes, I think some additional practice would be good."

* * *

 **Plegia Castle**

"I never expected it to be so simple," Grima rasped as Tabuu's form separated from his, their test complete.

"Master Hand likes simplicity; when you organize something as big as the Smash Brothers, things need to be. But that is also a weakness."

"One that we shall continue to exploit. And you are sure he suspected nothing?"

"That was merely changing the target of the Pocket, everything else could have happened as he set no restraints on what it can grab. Such a subtle influence would hardly be noticeable, I am more concerned about him detecting our breach of Smash's defenses. We must be more subtle in our attacks or Master Hand shall discover us quickly; at my current state, I am no match for him. I know of a few portals that were opened in this world, but all of them are in Ylisse and one of them is most definitely out of reach. We must be cautious when approaching and using them. A military escort is out of the question even if you should wrangle such a favor from Validar, it will draw too much attention."

"Then we must move and act by night only. But no matter, we have proven their little bubble isn't as safe as they think."

"Indeed." Tabuu did not mention to his temporary ally that once he had a host in the Smash realm he would abandon him.

"I do not think Master Hand suspects anything yet, perhaps we might push the boundaries a little further?"

"But we cannot strike in the same place twice, or the chance of detection becomes too great. Perhaps we could alter how some of the items work, that will still have the desired effect while being much more difficult to detect. Manufacturing defects in these items happen."

Grima shrugged. "You are the expert."

"Then let us get to it."

* * *

 **Master Hand's Office, Smash Mansion**

"Something wrong?" Crazy asked as his brother slapped the door shut with a thunderous noise.

"Villager never struck me as the type to disobey the rules..." the latter muttered to no one in particular.

"Well, you may want to take a look at this before you do anything." Crazy guided his brother to a screen that had the camera feed of the Town and City stage. He toggled a switch and suddenly the image went black-and-white, though instead of being sensitive to heat, this was sensitive to influxes of magic. Master Hand had specifically developed this type of imaging as part of his additional security measures in the wake of the Subspace Emissary incident.

As they watched, a dark spot appeared from underneath the stage as the fight began. If not for the black background from which he emerged, it would have been impossible to see the form of Tabuu emerge and spread his broken wings. Another dark spot appeared in Villager's outstretched hand as he reached out to pocket the PK Flash. The air around Lucina turned darker too before rushing into the former's pocket, taking the unfortunate swordswoman with it.

Master Hand remained speechless for a while. "...Crazy...thank Sakurai that this was the one moment you were paying attention."

"Don't be so quick to use that sentiment," the other hand replied, gesturing at another monitor.

Master Hand took a moment to note the location. "Let's go, Crazy!"

"Ooh, do we get to beat up people now?" The left hand cackled. "Sweet."

* * *

 **Item Vault, Archives, Smash Mansion**

"Here exists all manner of experiment and retired items that Master Hand has locked away, usually because of their extreme annoyance to the fighters or because they were deemed too powerful," Tabuu explained with a gesture of his arms.

"Both of which suit us perfectly." Grima was examining a trophy he had picked at random off a shelf. Tabuu took notice and chuckled.

"Perhaps we should start by adding that one back to the pool of assist trophies."

"May I inquire as to why?"

"It was removed on both of the aforementioned accounts."

Suddenly the lock on the vault rattled. Tabuu thrust his arm out at the entrance and the noise abruptly stopped as the mechanisms melted. Now that he was in the Smash realm, his power was far greater. As the antithesis of Master Hand, it only made sense for him to be strongest here.

"Give me the trophy, we must make haste in our espionage." To emphasize his point the vault shook and echoed with a loud bang as whoever was on the other side pounded the door. While Grima looked nervous and edged towards the portal, Tabuu took the trophy and suspended it in a cyan glow between his hands. The trophy began to glow until, with a flash, it disappeared and an assist trophy case lay on the floor in front of him.

"Now what?" Grima asked, a hint of urgency in his voice as the vault door cracked from another attack.

"I must summon it. Once that is done, he will automatically enter the assist trophy pool." Tabuu threw the case down and as the trophy emerged Tabuu spread his limbs and faded back into his temporary host, who ducked back into the portal without waiting to see if their sabotage worked. Just before the portal vanished from sight, the door was blasted down by a sphere of dark energy and two hands swooped inside.

"Well, it doesn't look like they did any major damage," Master Hand surmised as he took stock of the room. "Other than one, the security seals on the others are intact. Come, Crazy, we must stop them now." Master Hand swooped over to the portal and though he opened it partially, he could not keep it open and go through it simultaneously. Crazy Hand came to his assistance the two pried it open enough to slip through, one after the other, into the courtyard of Plegia Castle.

"I should have figured you wouldn't take the hint to stay away, Tabuu. And what's this? You've gotten Grima to take your side as well? How the tables have turned since our last meeting."

"Circumstances change, and with it, the rules. Since you've taken so many security precautions this time, I take it we are in agreement?"

"Certainly. And the circumstance of your existence is about to change." The hands split up and Master Hand lunged, trying to grab Grima. The Fell Dragon pulled out a dark tome and blasted the magic he summoned at Crazy, who was moving to follow up the grab in case his brother missed, but the hand caught it neatly and tossed it in the air before backhanding it at its caster.

Plegian soldiers were scrambling to form ranks to assist their Supreme Hierophant, and the archers on the battlements had already succeeded in pegging the hands with multiple arrows each. Mages were also starting to add their magic to the assault, but were scoring far fewer hits as they had to predict where the hands would fly and cast their tomes at that spot. The melee infantrymen, however, were having no success as their weapons were not capable of reaching the height the hands loitered at while planning their next attack.

 _"Stay merged with me,"_ Tabuu spoke in Grima's mind. _"If we separate I will become easy prey, and you will not have the strength to fight them."_ The Fell Dragon usually did not take orders, but he was inclined to agree and so complied. The only reason his host body hadn't disintegrated from the stress of combat and repeated magic use was because of Tabuu's assistance. He rolled aside as Master Hand slammed into the ground in a bid to catch him and barely eluded the fingers as they closed into a fist.

"Give me that!" He swiped a sword out of a nearby soldier's hands, before the latter processed what happened, a blast of energy intended for Grima struck him. Meanwhile, Crazy cackled madly as he swooped over the battlements, dropping bombs on the archers stationed along their length.

Master Hand made another dive at him, and Grima responded with another blast of dark energy from his tome. As he predicted, Master Hand held his palm out and absorbed it, but his opponent took the opportunity to drive the sword into the hand's palm up to the hilt.

"GAAAH!" The scream of pain reverberated throughout the courtyard. Clumsily, Master Hand managed to pry the sword out with his fingers, but the wound was clearly affecting his strength. His attacks were becoming less precise and slower. Meanwhile, a quick-thinking foot soldier had taken advantage of Crazy Hand's momentary distraction by his brother's injury to pin him to a battlement turret with a javelin.

Crazy slid backwards along the weapon's shaft and slammed the soldier to the ground before turning around and flicking him off the battlement. A glance across the courtyard at his brother conveyed a mutual understanding: they needed to finish things quickly otherwise the sheer number of soldiers would wear them down. Aiming for the largest concentration of soldiers in the courtyard, Crazy dove low to the ground and raced at them. As they scattered Master Hand flew in from another angle, fingers balled in a fist, and smacked many of the soldiers aside or even over the battlements.

With most of the guard now incapacitated, the hands dove as one at Grima, with Master Hand finally managing to trap him in his fingers.

"Both of your little games end here. Crazy, would you do the honors?" Master Hand shifted his grip for Grima to see Crazy Hand charging a massive sphere of dark energy.

 _"Place your hands on his fingers,"_ Tabuu suddenly advised. _"I will help you escape this situation, but it will cost me the remainder of my power. May the knowledge I have given you continue to fulfill our interests."_

Just as Crazy tossed the giant ball of dark energy and big enough to blot out the sky above the castle courtyard, Grima's body glowed cyan. The glow also enveloped Master Hand, and with a cry of pain he let go of Grima on reflex. A second later his fingers clenched, but it was too late. Caught in the anticipation of the moment ** _,_** Crazy did not see his brother drop their target as he slapped his giant projectile toward him. The blast of energy struck Master Hand with enough force to send him through the castle wall, leaving a giant hole. Weakened by the dark energy and his previous injury, the hand was unable to stop his fall or fight off Tabuu's last assault.

Just before he hit the ground, Master Hand convulsed once more and with a flash, disappeared. Crazy swooped down only to find his brother's trophy. He stared at it for a second, then laughed.

"So this is your so-called 'great' sacrifice, Tabuu?" he mocked. "Turning my brother into a trophy? Good riddance to you!" He touched it and with a flash Master Hand reappeared on the ground, albeit still bleeding from the sword wound.

"Ugh...Crazy, quit trash talking and let's get out of here," he groaned. "We did what we came here for: Tabuu is finished. Let's get out before we have to wipe any witness' memories."

His brother opened a portal back and dragged him through. Meanwhile, Grima watched from the ruined battlement, smirking with satisfaction. Now that Tabuu was gone, with the skills and knowledge handed to him, the Fell Dragon was free to do as he pleased.

* * *

 **Smash Mansion**

"Nice zero-to-death KO on Jigglypuff," Sonic complimented as he walked briskly out of the stage selection room, his partners running to keep up so as to avoid the three sullen Pokemon behind them.

"Well, we wouldn't have won without Link stopping Greninja," Rock replied, his armor pixelating into his normal attire. "He deserves some credit too."

Sonic teasingly nudged him. "C'mon man, it won't hurt you to recognize your achievements for what they are. Anyways, when's our next match?"

Link looked at the schedule he'd somehow kept throughout their battle. "It's in an hour, against - well, the winner isn't decided..." his voice trailed off as ink was written on the page. "Never mind, looks like we have our next opponents. We're up against Robin, Marth, and Samus."

"Well, sounds like they're projectile-heavy," Rock surmised.

"Not quite, looks like Samus isn't using her Power Suit for this tournament."

"Well, I can more than match her and Marth on speed, but I can't take both of them, especially if Robin is bombarding me with tomes." Sonic twirled a fake Chaos Emerald on the end of a necklace that he'd bought from a shop in town.

"I can handle either Marth or Robin," Link volunteered. "I'd probably be able to block most of Robin's tomes with my shield, and my blade reaches as far as Marth's."

"Since Marth has no projectiles, I think I'll go for him; no matter how fast he swings that blade it's useless to him if he can't get in range," Rock surmised.

"Then I'll take Robin."

"And I'll take Samus. We got this in the bag," Sonic said encouragingly.

"Let's not relax just yet; this is just semi-quarterfinals. The teams are only going to get tougher."

* * *

"See, what did I tell you?" Sonic asked as they left the room again ten minutes later.

"We could have easily lost; they were a tough team," Mega Man said as he joined him.

"Are you kidding? Samus couldn't keep up with me - "

"No, she wasn't, aside from the three times she managed to Booster Kick you to your death at below 100%," Link interjected.

"Hey, it's not my fault that it's so broken!"

"Keep it down, do you _want_ her to hear you being a bad sport?" the Blue Bomber snapped. "And besides, if it were so broken, why would we have won?"

"Because neither Marth nor Robin have any range at all?"

"What did he just tell you not to do?" Link asked with a sigh.

"Yell derogatory things about the other team?"

"I'm going to grab an E-tank from my room, see you guys in a bit. And try to keep your mouth shut before I get back, Sonic," Rock grumbled. His path took him near the team he'd just beaten, so he decided to take the opportunity to apologize for Sonic's behavior.

"Do you need something, Mega Man?" Marth inquired.

"I don't know how much of Sonic's talk you heard, but I'd like to take a moment to apologize for his behavior."

"It's nothing new, he has those moments every now and then," Samus commented. "Especially if he gets beaten," she added with a small note of satisfaction.

"Er...okay then. Good game, you three." Rock shook each of their hands in turn before leaving.

"Seems like I have some competition here," Robin remarked once he was gone. "He thinks analytically; it's pretty easy to see why."

"I think he was quite a formidable opponent," the Hero King responded. "It will be interesting to see how he fares against Lucina and Ike's team; from what I've heard, they are tearing up the loser's bracket."

"Indeed, and a good sport, too," Samus commented. "Speaking of Ike's team, we should prepare for our match against them now that we have been deposited in said bracket."

* * *

"Smashers, you have all fought well today, but it comes down to this match!" Master Hand's voice reverberated throughout the Norfair stage, chosen for its size and the fact that Ridley was currently engaged in other business. "The undefeated team of Sonic, Mega Man, and Link, up against the loser's bracket champions: Snake, Ike, and Lucina! Good luck to you in the Grand Finals! 3...2...1...GO!"

Sonic started the battle by tucking into a ball and rushing his opponents. Snake nimbly rolled aside as the hedgehog sped past him, barely dodging his fist. Sonic turned for another pass at him and the commando drew his tranquilizer pistol. The blue blur easily evaded the stun darts and was just about to grab his opponent, butSnake stuck his foot out and tripped him. "Ike, he's yours!"

The Radiant Hero turned and wound up a crushing blow that sent Sonic flying a surprising distance for his low damage, while Snake stalled Link's retaliatory rush by planting a land mine. The former sidestepped as Ike surged from behind him and Ragnell's blade clashed against the Hylian Shield in a shower of sparks. Link's Clawshot grabbed his arm and reeled him in, the latter pummeling Ike with the hilt of the Master Sword. He kept the struggling Radiant Hero between him and Snake to prevent retaliation.

Lucina rushed forwards to break her teammate free, but Sonic dove down from a platform above, aiming to tackle her. Mega Man also chose that moment to make a move, and Snake made to engage him in combat as the former's Metal Blade barely cleared his head.

With mere seconds before it reached them, Lucina rolled behind Sonic and jabbed him in the back with Parallel Falchion. To his credit, instead of attempting to right himself the latter used his momentum to dive to the ground as the blade sped over him. Lucina wasn't as fortunate and the Metal Blade struck her right shoulder before she could summon her shield.

Thanks to Master Hand's protections the blade did no physical damage but the sharp pain made her wince. Fortunately Sonic was now more focused on the situation on the other side of the stage. Link had taken advantage of his teammate's distraction and thrown Ike at Snake. Though it worked Ike had tackled Mega Man before he fell and Snake had tranquilized Link.

Lucina was about to run after the hedgehog when suddenly an Assist Trophy case landed in front of her with a flash of light. Praying for a useful trophy she threw it into the fray at the other end of the stage.

The case broke open with its usual burst of light (blue because of her team's temporary color) and suddenly a massive green text box exploded from where the trophy was summoned. The others yelled in pain as the expanding obstacle shoved them away, KOing Ike and Mega Man while the others were thrown across the main platform, skidding to a stop at Lucina's feet. The text box now took up two thirds of the stage.

 _"What in the name of Naga? I don't recall reading about anything like this assist trophy – "_ A very loud outburst of yelling broke Lucina's thought train, and the text box filled with black letters that mirrored the trophy's words as they left his mouth.

 **"HEY! NO RESETTIN'! YOU HEAR ME?!"**

Lucina was about to protest that she hadn't reset anything when the mole beat her to it.

"Huh? You sayin' you never reset nothin'? Oh, well, uh…Guess we ain't got a problem, then. So, lemme introduce myself. Name's Resetti. Mr. Resetti."

Snake raised himself to a sitting position but was doing nothing save smoking a cigarette, clearly not interested in continuing the fight. Surprisingly, the other veterans were showing the same disinterest.

"Um…aren't we supposed to be fighting?" Mega Man asked, having just respawned.

"You tell me that you know all about the Assist Trophies, but don't remember _anything_ about Resetti, Rock? You're kidding me," Sonic grumbled, playing with a couple rings that he had seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Snake was discussing something in a low whisper with the newly-respawned Ike.

"All he seems to be doing is making the area that we can fight on smaller – "

"Why don't you test that for yourself? And before you say that you weren't done, I know the only thing you were going to add is that he screams really loudly. Well, not everyone has the luxury of being able to filter out sounds at will. Be a little considerate of the rest of us."

"Well, what else can he do?" Lucina asked, getting down on all fours and shuffling into the space between the text box and the ground in an attempt to scrutinize Resetti.

"People usually don't have an explosive temper in this universe without Master Hand giving them abilities to match," Snake responded. "Still want to poke at the mole?"

Resetti had continued yelling during all of this, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his audience was actively attempting to ignore his tirade or that one of them was studying him from a close distance.

Rock glanced at the percentages. "Curiosity killed the cat, but since there's no permanent death, I think I'll take that chance, Snake." He charged up the Mega Buster, careful not to hit Lucina, and let the blast loose. To his surprise the shot traveled through the otherwise-solid text box and struck Resetti.

 **"QUIET DOWN, WILL YA?! I'M TALKING HERE!"** A huge explosion enveloped the mole and the text box, throwing Rock over his fellow competitors and off the edge. Sonic gave him a "stuff happens" shrug once he recovered while Snake facepalmed. Ike's expression was unreadable, while Link appeared not to have noticed anything as he was playing his ocarina. Meanwhile Resetti had picked up exactly where he left off, oblivious as ever.

None of which could be said of Lucina, who descended on a platform with cold fury lining her features.

"Um…a little help here guys?" Rock backed up nervously.

"You're on your own, I didn't make Resetti explode," Sonic called back. Link was still playing and appeared oblivious to the Blue Bomber's predicament.

He finished his helpless glance around in time to meet Lucina's eyes as she grabbed him by the neck. Normally breaking a human's grip wouldn't be an issue for him because of his augmented strength, but here everyone was on even ground so all he could do was struggle.

"L-Lucina, I di-didn't know he would explode, I swear!"

"No, he did, I kinda spoiled it for him."

"Sonic, you - agh!" The princess threw him behind her, tripping him with her leg. "Thanks for throwing me into the scrapper, dammit!"

 **"KEEP CRYIN', PUNK!"** Resetti screamed as if in response to the Blue Bomber's predicament.

"So you admit to taking advantage of us?" Lucina's voice was hard as she aimed the point of her weapon inches from his face.

Rock rolled over and scooted backwards against the giant text box. "Eheh…uh, maybe you're overreacting a little, Lucina…? I-I mean…you were sort of in the wa-aaay!" She jabbed him with the point of her sword and he suddenly stumbled through the wall of the box and fell on Resetti.

 **"SCRAM!"** There was another explosion and it was Rock's turn to be KO'd. When the smoke cleared the mole was gone.

Unfortunately in her anger Lucina had forgotten the size of the explosion, and now that Resetti had vanished the veterans were getting back to the battle. Link kept Snake and Ike distracted while Sonic leaped off the side after her, his foot extended. Lucina parried his blow with her sword, but the hedgehog just gave the blade a hard push with his feet and waved over his shoulder as the princess fell helplessly towards the blast line.

When Rock respawned, the teams had stopped fighting again. Sonic was busy rolling on the ground with laughter while his partner looked on disapprovingly. Snake and Ike were fixing him with hard stares. As he dropped down, Snake gave him a non-committal "I told you so" look, while Ike remained fixated on the hedgehog in hysterics on the floor in front of him.

"Uh...Sonic? Maybe we can have a laugh about it later?" Rock asked, eyeing a Bob-omb walking toward them from the edge of the stage.

"Ahah...ha...sure." Sonic got back to his feet as an embarrassed Lucina dropped back down onto the stage and the battle resumed. Snake made the first move by immediately shooting all three of them with his tranquilizer pistol.

 _"Nngh...stay...conscious..."_ Though tranquilizers were supposed to have no effect on his body, Mega Man was long past thinking that different rules applied to him. Fortunately, as he was at no damage, the drowsiness lasted only long enough for his thought to form. Sonic wasn't so lucky. Mega Man's senses returned just in time to see Lucina slam his teammate with her weapon. Link was just coming to and managed to raise his Hylian shield to block Ike's own attack, causing it to emit a horrible screeching sound as Ragnell's edge sliced at its surface. Meanwhile Sonic had managed to survive, but looked as though he was too far down to recover. Thinking quickly _,_ Rock grabbed the Bob-omb and threw it, the explosion carried his teammate back to the ledge.

"Nice one, but how about aiming the bomb below my feet next time?"

"Always something wrong..." Mega Man grumbled in response, turning around and raising a Leaf Shield to deflect Lucina's opening blow. While she was still following through he threw the ring of leaves and grabbed her before she could recover from the hit, throwing her behind him off the stage. "You deserved to be knocked out for that footstool kill, Sonic. That's just disrespectful, especially considering she was paying me back for my mistake."

"All's fair in love and war," the hedgehog replied, going back offstage to gimp Lucina again. This time, she was ready for him and performed a rising slash to stop his approach. Sonic was hit into the stage by it, and though he managed to tech the impact he was beat to the ledge by his opponent.

"Rock! Gimme a Flame Blast!" The Blue Bomber obliged, charging both busters and slamming them into the ground. Each blasted out a stream of napalm that quickly ignited into two pillars of flame as tall as his standing height. The unexpected hazard forced Lucina to let go and jump to a higher platform, but Sonic had underestimated how long the substance took to burn out. Mega Man turned to prevent her from rejoining her teammates as the hedgehog accidentally jumped into it, the surging flames packing enough recoil to knock him out.

A quick glance at the scoreboard surprised the robot, Link had somehow held on to his stock since the match resumed while taking one off of both Ike and Snake. Only the former had respawned, but Sonic's knock-out had changed that; now all three of them were back. The enemy team was still at a disadvantage despite this: any KOs would be permanent if they didn't get one in return.

"Link, get behind me!" Raising a Skull Barrier to protect himself as he approached, Mega Man leaped over his teammate just in time for the barrier to reflect a missile back at Snake. The spec-ops soldier had ample time to shield it, but it left him open. However, he was unable to take advantage of the opportunity as Lucina grabbed him from behind and shoved him forward into Ike, who had his blade raised and enveloped in a tempest of blue flames.

"Hyah!" The Eruption was strong enough to launch Mega Man up to the blast line, though he managed to live. As Lucina jumped upwards to finish him, he aimed his right hand down and fired it. She pivoted in midair to dodge the Hard Knuckle but, having predicted precisely that action, her opponent rewarded the dodge with a Flame Sword.

"Rush!" As his loyal dog answered the summon Mega Man pushed him downwards so that Lucina would land on him. Tucking into a ball to avoid a retaliatory swipe as the princess rose past him, he aimed his cannon upwards and released an Air Shooter. Confused, she tried to maneuver out of the vortex of wind; while she succeeded, she was almost touching the vertical blast line. A second tornado rushed upwards and carried her away before she could avoid it.

"Hey, good boy." The Blue Bomber gave his canine companion a pat before returning to combat. Link had again pulled off an incredible play by taking Ike with him, effectively handing Mega Man's team another stock now that Link was back to zero. Sonic was busy dodging between Snake's various explosive attacks while Link and Ike slashed and parried each other, the Hero of Hyrule having slung his shield over his back to improve his mobility.

 _"Risky, but even Ike can't kill him at this low of a percentage."_ Deciding Sonic was in more need of his help, Mega Man rushed at Snake, sliding under a grenade. Sonic took advantage of his distraction to run straight into the former, knocking Snake to the ground. In an instant he had recovered and was getting to his feet, but in that instant Sonic had grabbed him. He tucked into a ball and rolled slowly backwards, using the momentum to launch Snake into a team combo.

"Mega...Upper!" To his relief, Mega Man had timed it at exactly the right moment for optimal knockback, launching Snake past the blast line.

A grunt of pain from the other side of the stage caused both of them to turn around. Ike's stronger blows were progressively forcing Link towards the ledge, and the Radiant Hero, despite having the larger and heavier weapon, already slipped under his opponent's guard. Link threw a bomb, and then a Gooey Bomb he'd picked up, but Ike dodged both easily.

"Go! I'm right behind you!" Sonic obeyed instantly, rushing Ike before he could deliver a blow that would push Link off the edge. Ike parried the rush and his counterattack launched the hedgehog backwards before rolling to avoid a swipe from Link. Mega Man briefly considered picking up the hammer that had just spawned behind him before deciding that there wasn't enough time.

He released a charge shot that he'd been preparing in the last few seconds. Ike sidestepped it, though fortunately it did no harm as Link dropped below the ledge to avoid it. The motion also gave his opponent enough time to grab the Radiant Hero, and he threw him upwards just as Sonic rushed in again, driving Ike to the highest platform with his attack. The hedgehog jumped away as another Air Shooter lifted Ike into the air, then jumped up after him with a spring before scissor-kicking him several times. Ike slammed his blade down and forced Sonic away just as another Air Shooter hit them both. As he was at a higher percentage, the tornado carried Ike further than it did Sonic. Another scissor kick from the hedgehog at the blast line sealed the match.

"Game!" Master Hand's voice called. Link, Sonic, and Mega Man were instantly teleported to a large, open area. A quick glance around suggested to the latter that it was one of Battlefield's background platforms.

To a brief riff of rock music, Master Hand's voice boomed. "Please give a round of applause for the opening week tournament's winners: Link! Sonic! And...Mega Man!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I thought Resetti in _Brawl_ was hilarious, so I was mad that they took him out in SSB4. **

**Fun fact, the first scene comes from personal experience. I went to my first _Smash_ tournament around when I started writing this chapter (don't expect to see my name on a winner's list, I got bodied).**

 **I also know that you can't Pocket PK Flash courtesy of my friend who is a Ness main, but it's not a melee move, so I say that it can be pocketed.**

 **One last thing, Corrin and Bayonetta hype, everyone, we get them Wednesday!**


	6. What Did I Win?

**Author's Note: While this chapter made the 2-week update, I'm not sure if any others will. Rest assured this story will continue, but I'm only going to be busier so please bear with me.**

* * *

"He really is a fighting machine..."

"Nothing like something purpose-built for war for winning tournaments..."

"Purpose-built or not, he's got some serious skill..."

"Sounds more like an unfair advantage..."

He could have easily shut them out. Turn off his audioreceptors and stare straight ahead. But he always wanted to know what people truly thought of him. Now the question was, did he like what they thought? Most of them fell into several distinct categories: there were people who had gone out of their way to congratulate him, like Pit, those who had been good sports about matches like Olimar, those who silently respected his victory like Mario, those who broke and ran in fear whenever he got close like the Koopalings.

And then there were those who were whispering snide remarks to one another, pointing, and trying to make a secret of it, then making their gestures and voices more noticeable when they saw him listening in. That, unfortunately, was the majority of the crowd; the citizens of Smashville. Unlike the other Smashers, they were kept behind a barrier but allowed to take photographs. Rock just wished the barrier blocked out sound too instead of just their progress; then his curiosity wouldn't have been piqued.

"Ignore them," Sonic said to him as they finally walked out of the victor's area back into the stage selection room. "It's the same for every newcomer; we go from a world where everyone respects you to where your name is, at first, synonymous with cheater. Best to just forget about what they said; most of them are just sore over losing some money on bets."

"Sure, except they were the ones who voted to have me included in the first place. At least, that's what I've been told. So what's with the sudden attitude reversal?"

"The public has the attention span of a cocker spaniel," Link responded. "They're extremely fickle-minded because they see this as their entertainment and nothing more; as long as it doesn't affect them directly they can't be bothered to be serious about it."

"Fickle-minded is putting it mildly," Rock grumbled. Looking aside, he noticed Snake and Ike in discussion. "I'm going to go talk to them, meet you guys at dinner?"

"Sure, I'll swing by your room to let you know when," Sonic called over his shoulder.

"...but it can't hurt to dispute this, and if not for our sake, then for Lucina's," Ike was saying as Rock drew close enough to distinguish their conversation.

"Ike, it's a casual, introductory tournament, it's going to be more damaging for all three of our standings if we - " Snake cut off as he noticed their opponent approaching.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to say 'good game.' You guys were tough; how'd you end up in the losers' bracket?"

"We forfeited our first match against Villager's team rather than have Master Hand disqualify him for the Pocket incident," Ike explained. "It wasn't his fault so we thought he deserved a second chance."

"And did he? I heard about the Pocket incident."

"Judge is still out on that one," Snake responded. "Their team did make it to semi-quarterfinals, which was a lot better than watching this whole tournament from the sides. Anyways, way these tournaments work, there's room to do the decent thing and be a good sport."

"Uh...on that note, I'd like to apologize for Sonic's behavior - "

Ike waved his apology off. "Footstooling is legitimate. So is gimping. Sonic was trying to win, and having fought against him before I know he would never cheat to win even if 'taking it easy' isn't in his vocabulary. I must go now." He reached out and shook the Blue Bomber's hand. "Good game to you as well, and congratulations on your first tournament win, Mega Man." Snake gave the android a cursory nod before walking off as well.

 _"Hm..."_ He mused, eyes roaming amongst the crowd that was slowly filtering back into town. _"Maybe I'll try summoning that assist trophy again; if it wasn't meant to happen, then I don't deserve this victory."_

"Rush!" His canine companion appeared at his side. _"I should probably chose a stage that's not very popular in case anyone wants to practice."_ He walked into the portal to the Hyrule Temple.

To his surprise, someone was already there.

"Stupid...careless..." Lucina muttered as she slashed at a bot in her image. The second slash knocked it off the side and she swiped downwards at it, knocking it below the blast line.

Since she was in what was infamously dubbed the Cave of Life, when the bot respawned she had to hit it back down into Cave. The two realized each others' presence simultaneously.

"Oh, excuse me, I didn't know I was interrupting."

"It's fine. The stage is big enough to handle two different people at once." Lucina turned and smacked the bot with her sword, knocking it off its feet. She kicked viciously at it while it was still in midair and it fell to the bottom of the Cave. Rock watched with a mixture of interest and concern as he toggled the settings to summon assist trophies only.

 _"Consulting the archives...so Resetti was in the previous tournament and removed due to fighter complaints. That explains why he wasn't on the list I memorized. Perhaps he was a last-minute addition?"_ He applied his settings, armored up, and dropped onto the stage, careful to avoid the Cave of Life.

The first Assist Trophy was Andross. Though some of the tiles went into the Cave, Lucina did not seem to mind, judging by the lack of verbal complaint. The next one was a Nintendog, which was functionally useless since there were no spectators. The third was a Starfy, which he promptly KO'd. Then Phosphora, followed by Riki, a Hammer Bro, Dillon, and a Chain Chomp, all of which Mega Man promptly disposed of or tried to prevent from bothering Lucina.

After thirty tries he finally got Resetti again. _"Huh, guess he was supposed to be in after all. Well, so much for trying to be a good sport."_ He cautiously tried to push Resetti off the edge by giving him a gentle kick, to which the mole responded with **"HEY! THINK YOU DON'T GOT TO LISTEN TO ME?!"** and his trademark explosion. Deciding to just let the mole finish his talk to nobody in particular, Mega Man de-armored and prepared to leave when he heard a yell.

He slid down to the bottom of the Cave's entrance to see Lucina with her hands over her left eye, her sword discarded on the ground. The bot stood at the ledge, soulless as ever. Armoring up again and keeping his buster trained on the bot in case it tried anything, Mega Man cautiously descended.

"Um...pardon me, Lucina, but are you alright?"

She whirled around at the sound of his voice. He could see that her left eye was bloodshot. "Yes, I'm fine."

He lowered his weapon but kept it out. "So your definition of 'fine' is yelling loud enough for me to hear you over Resetti's tirade?"

She glared at the bot before kneeling to pick up her weapon, keeping an eye on the bot the whole time. "It took me by surprise. That will not happen again, and you needn't be concerned about my well-being. Shouldn't you be attending victory celebrations with your teammates?"

 _"So that's why she came here."_ The Blue Bomber put the revelation aside for the moment. "I'd rather avoid the publicity. Being good at fighting's not something to be proud of. At least, not when there isn't anything at stake."

"Nothing at stake? What about your reputation? Your pride?"

"I'd rather people judge me by my personality. Words say a lot more than weapons."

"I disagree. You are judged by your reputation first, and your motives second. And your reputation is determined by your skill in combat."

"And if I don't like fighting?"

"Then why are you here?"

"I don't believe fighting is the answer. It fixes problems, yes, but only temporarily. When you've been fighting as long as I have, it starts to drag you down."

"What if you still need to protect people? Do you just leave them to fend for themselves on account of your weariness?" Lucina retorted accusingly.

"That's the only reason I do it. If there weren't threats to civilians I would have hung up my weapons long ago."

"You still haven't explained why you accepted the invitation if you dislike fighting."

He shrugged. "Practice. That and meeting new people."

Lucina's eyes narrowed. "So, we're just training dummies to you?"

"Well, that's a very blunt way to put it - "

"But it's a way to put your motives into words nonetheless, isn't it?"

Mega Man raised his hands defensively. "I did say to meet new people, too."

The princess studied him for a moment; Rock watched rather anxiously, hoping that he hadn't gone too far. "So you fight to protect those you care about and hate doing so, yet you say you joined this tournament to essentially make the list of people to protect longer? Most odd."

"Well, we all have our own reasons; I'm sure I might have a thing or two to say about why you joined. Regardless, it wouldn't hurt you to take losing a little less hard, especially for a casual tournament. Your eye would agree with that sentiment, I'm sure." With that he turned and walked away, exiting the Cave the same way he came without looking back.

Lucina watched him go. _"Hmph! What nerve, to chide when he knows nothing about me!"_ She turned back to the bot and continued slashing at it, now more wary of a counter.

* * *

The trip back to his room was mixed. Most of the Smashers gave the android a respectful nod as he passed, but he could also see them taking a slightly longer path to avoid getting closer. Others ducked into a nearby room or turned away when they saw him. Not helping were the continued whispers of the spectators who were still around for some reason.

 _"If this is winning, I'd rather not. Of anyone with a dislike or quarrel with me so far, only one has been on the grounds of differing opinion. As if I my opinions aren't even worth disagreeing over or debating because I'm a robot..."_ He passed Robin, who gave him a friendly wave that Rock returned along with a smile, though there was no substance to it. Once the tactician had passed he returned to his brooding, his body literally on autopilot as he walked to his room.

 _"Why do people like Xander Payne exist? Why do anti-robot movements gain such traction? Is it because of something I did? Some act of Wily's? No, that can't be, otherwise people wouldn't feel the same way here. Am I truly so different? I might be built for war, but there are others here who use war machines, too. Might it just be because I'm a newcomer, like Sonic said? It certainly sounds reasonable, and any announcements have almost always called me 'super fighting robot' so I guess people just assume I'm a war machine. Yeah, that must be it. I'm just being paranoid about a deeper mistrust again..."_

He opened the door to his room to find Elec Man kneeling with a toolkit. His brother turned upon hearing his return and gave him a rare smile.

"Congratulations, Rock! I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks, Elec Man, but it was a team effort. You should congratulate Sonic and Link as much as me." He looked at the tools. "What's up?"

"Beat crashed into a tree while running a test on his ground-mapping radar."

Rock sighed. "Well, better it happened during a diagnostic than when I need him. Did you talk to Dr. Cossack about it?"

"Dr. Light said he'd get back to me when he responded."

Rock sighed as he picked up a circuit board, studying the partly-disassembled robotic bird to see where it would be installed. "How many times do I have to tell you that you can trust Dr. Cossack?"

"Once a villain, always a villain," Elec Man retorted. "Or did you forget about the time Dr. Wily 'repented' and almost succeeded in killing Dr. Light as a result of you believing him?"

"You know what, forget it. And good luck getting help fixing Beat." Rock threw the board down and walked out.

"Hmph...Never understood why he's so sensitive over that; it was only to make a point." Elec Man grumbled as he picked up where he left off. Rush glared at the Robot Master before following his master out the door, dragging it shut with one of his hind legs.

* * *

Lucina grabbed the bot and smacked it with her knee a few times before shoving it away from her, slashing Parallel Falchion in a downward arc to prevent it from recovering. Without giving herself a moment's respite she raced out of the Cave of Life and drove the bot into it again, pummeling it with blows before smacking it down below the blast line again.

"You know, there are healthier ways to vent than working yourself to death," a voice remarked.

"O-oh, hello...Ike," she panted. The bot took advantage of her distraction and fled to the other side of the stage. "What brings...you here?"

"I wanted to make sure that you were alright; you disappeared after the end of the grand finals." He sighed. "As much as I tried to push you to succeed, I hope you realize it was for the purpose of making you believe in yourself. You shouldn't take a loss so seriously."

"I was already lectured by someone on this earlier," she responded irritably. "Besides, I'm training."

"On a bot programmed to not fight back? Before you say that you were practicing hitting weak points, in a realm where you can't inflict physical damage and there isn't any permanent death, how are you gauging how effective your blows might be?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Well...now that you say it..."

The Radiant Hero put a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled. "Peace. I don't mean to embarrass you. But your friends are worried about you." He took a step closer. "All of them, even those you fought. And I am, too. You're going to feel miserable if you dwell on the past too much; look on the bright side. We still took second, and that was only because we did the right thing and forfeited the match against Villager's team. And you did brilliantly."

"Ike...why are you doing this? Why are you so concerned about my well-being?"

"You've gone through a lifetime of war, and in spite of it you're still a wonderful person to be around: determined, clever, and humble. It would be a shame and disappointment to many of us to see that disappear on account of a tournament that's supposed to be about having fun and meeting new people." They teleported to the control platform. "Are you hungry? It's dinnertime."

"I didn't realize I was in here for that long." Lucina's stomach rumbled a little.

"It seems your stomach has answered for you," Ike said with a smile. "Come, let's get some food."

* * *

"Hello," Link said in greeting as Lucina sat down on his left. Ike continued on towards where Marth was sitting with a farewell wave.

"Well you look tired," Sonic observed from across the table, earning glares from the others.

"No small thanks to you," Rock retorted from Lucina's other side. "You just _had_ to go for the gimp when I deserved to get blown up by Resetti."

"Man, are you ever going to thank me for making the most of a bad situation or no?"

"I don't need you of all people to defend me," Lucina interrupted as Rock made to reply.

"Hey, at least I didn't go after you when we called a truce! And I told you I was sorry about the thing with Resetti!"

"Lucina, he did say he thought he deserved it," Link reminded her.

She sighed and went back to her food. "Forget I said anything."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, he stood up for you and you stomped on him in return, and yet you don't even apologize or thank him?" Sonic demanded.

"Sonic, I have my own voice; if I want to say something, I'll say it myself, dammit!" Rock was now clearly annoyed by his friend's behavior.

"What? Don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing privately." Rock' retort was stopped by Lucina's hand on his arm.

"Mega Man, Sonic's right. That was very rude of me, and I apologize."

He sat down and turned to her. "Apology accepted, just do us all a favor next time and don't make people come looking for you, okay?"

"Er...I'll try?"

"Itwasajoke," Sonic coughed from across the table. Nobody bothered to respond, leaving the meal to continue in an awkward silence before Link resumed his conversation with Zelda and the general chatter slowly returned.

* * *

Lucina stood alone in the shadow of the mansion grounds' outer wall. Save the path that led to Smashville, there was barely enough room for two people to walk side-by-side around the perimeter, and a steep drop that led to a forest whose tallest trees could not reach even halfway up the rock face.

It was on this narrow path that Lucina had chosen to walk, the remainder of her friends having elected to go into Smashville for the evening. Despite the drop, she was't concerned; the princess had all the time in the world and no particular destination in mind, so she was walking slow enough to watch the path in front of her. As an added precaution she was also walking as close to the wall as possible.

The junction with the road to Smashville had disappeared from sight when Lucina felt a subtle vibration. It seemed to be coming from the Parallel Falchion, so she unsheathed it to see what was the matter.

The blade was emitting a dull hum and the teardrop-shaped hole near the grip was glowing a bright blue.

 _"It's only done this once before...on the night that Emmeryn's assassination was thwarted. The course of destiny was altered that night, if only temporarily, so that must mean...it can happen again?"_

The deduction, however, raised more questions than it answered. _"But_ _why now of all times? Nothing save telling my story has happened, and that didn't trigger any response from Falchion. Master Hand has banned travel between worlds; how could anyone here not from Ylisse have any bearing on events yet to come in my father's time if they cannot even enter our world?_ _It's so selfish of me to think this way, but at moments like these I wish Naga would speak more. If she wants to change fate as badly as we do, shouldn't she be a little more helpful - "_ Lucina stopped the train of thought right there and crushed it. Sending her and her friends back in time was more than she could have asked for already; she was in no position to criticize the Divine Dragon's actions.

She laid Parallel Falchion on the ground and sat down next to it, pensively examining the glowing "eye." Of course, there was nothing to be gleaned from doing so, but the princess did it in the hopes that it might stir some thought.

"Another recalibration of the flight systems is necessary, it seems," A voice muttered in a carrying undertone from around the corner. Lucina started at the unexpected disturbance and scrambled to her feet. In doing so, her right foot slid along the blade of her weapon, causing her to lose her balance. She recovered quickly by putting one hand on the wall behind her, but that cost her a crucial second. She lunged for it, and the tip of her fingers closed around the golden base of Parallel Falchion's hilt for an instant before the weapon slid out of her grasp. She tried to grab it again, but by now it had fallen too far. Lucina could only watch in horror as her only weapon bounced off the cliff face a few times and plummeted into the forest below. In her shock she didn't notice that the blade had stopped glowing when she kicked it.

* * *

Inside the director's office, both Hands looked up from their duties and turned to one another.

Master Hand spoke first. "No. That's impossible. We killed Tabuu."

"Whatever cause that disturbance, we should put a stop to it now," Crazy suggested. Both of them swooped out of the office without another word, heading for the western edge of the mansion grounds.

* * *

 **Plegia Castle**

Grima watched the results of his tiny manipulation with delight. This was certainly an unexpected surprise, but a pleasant one nonetheless.

The image projected through the minuscule portal suddenly flickered with violet static and switched to an image of Master Hand and Crazy Hand racing out of their office. The Fell Dragon cursed and cut the connection. Though merging with Tabuu when the latter was still alive had revitalized his body, he still had to be reserved about his magic use, and thus it would take time to properly mask his sabotage.

It had been just another test, projecting a random sound at a random a location separate from its source to see how much power he held in the realm of Smash. Tabuu had agreed it should be their next test, among other plans, before his untimely demise, and as a neophyte on the subject the Fell Dragon had decided to simply continue for the time being. His partner had chosen that corner of the outer wall for its seclusion; hardly anything important was back there, and in fact the only opening save the main gate was there, a connection to the gardens in the back of the grounds. Tabuu had assured Grima that nobody would venture that deep into the garden, and the fact that it faced away from the grounds made the chances of it being overheard much lower.

The fact that Lucina had happened to be near there and lost her weapon as a result was just an added bonus.

"How can you protect your father if you can't protect yourself now?" the Fell Dragon sneered aloud, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him. Just before the viewportal faded into nothing it flickered back to Lucina, who was staring down the cliff with a look of despair. As he watched she scooted back to the wall and curled up, hugging her knees and hiding her face. His smirk widened. It was enrapturing to see; it wasn't often he managed to break his enemies so, let alone his nemesis.

 _"That shall be a memory to relish in the months to come. Even if nothing else comes of this brief partnership with Tabuu, it's already been worth the trouble."_

* * *

"So what do you make of it?" Master Hand asked his brother.

"Well, it looks like there was just a little disruption. This world is volatile in it's own right; usually the machines can seal accidental breaches on their own, but not always. Maybe this just happened to be one of the exceptions?"

"I think we should look into improving their capabilities just to be safe."

"Um, that means taking them offline, right? Aren't you pushing yourself a bit?"

"Your concern is touching. Anyways, as I promised, the next tournament is yours to supervise, Crazy. I will make the improvements then."

"If you insist."

"What are you worried about? As long as we're both around, even if Tabuu is still alive he can't enslave either of us. We have to be turned to trophies first, and we can revive each other if that happens."

"Am I supposed to take that as an apology for locking me in stasis before the Subspace Emissary incident?"

"What do you think?" Master Hand turned to leave when he heard someone. "I'm going to investigate. If you want to come, by all means, but please keep quiet."

To their surprise they found Lucina curled up against the outer wall, sobbing quietly.

Master Hand approached her cautiously while Crazy floated overhead. "Is something wrong, Lucina?"

"Y-yes! I lost Falchion! The one memento of my f-father, and my only possession! I-It was all I was entrusted to, and I s-still managed to lose it!" Panic and despair lined her voice.

"Calm yourself, it's not the end of everything," the hand promised, laying a finger on her shoulder in reassurance. "Where did it fall? Just tell me the approximate location and I'll look for it."

When she pointed it out it took several minutes before Master Hand returned with it, the eye glowing again. It faded as Parallel Falchion was returned to Lucina's hands, though she didn't notice in her relief at having the weapon back.

"I-I cannot thank you enough, Master Hand."

"No thanks necessary. Just be more careful next time, okay?"

"Yes sire."

He chuckled and bid her farewell before floating over the wall and back inside.

 _"Gods, that was embarrassing...perhaps I should return to the mansion before anything else happens."_ The incident had been a revelation as to how attached and dependent she'd become to Parallel Falchion. Lucina silently resolved to practice avoiding disarmament in melee combat; if she lost her sword in battle there was no telling what might happen.

She was almost across the courtyard when a hand reached out and grabbed her right arm. On instinct she drew her weapon with the other and whirled around, holding the blade out. Having been jumped in this manner more than once by bandits, she was virtually ambidextrous when it came to wielding her blade. However, she was expected her opponent to block the strike, and it never came. As a result her spin unbalanced her and she fell again, Parallel Falchion flying off to one side.

So much for keeping a better hold on it.

Ike stood up from his prone position, having thrown himself flat to avoid being decapitated, and offered his hand to help her up. "Something is bothering you, isn't it?"

The princess took it and stood with a sheepish sigh. "What gave it away?"

"The fact that you thought I was a threat aside, you didn't respond when I greeted you or called to you several times."

"Oh...I didn't hear you in the slightest. How odd; I apologize."

"Don't worry about it. You're not still upset about the tournament, are you?"

"No, something else is on my mind."

The Radiant Hero raised an eyebrow. "'On my mind' seems to be putting it lightly. If you don't want to tell me, I'll respect that, but it won't hurt to confide in someone else, especially if you are carrying a burden."

She briefly eyed Ragnell before looking at him. "Ike, how would you feel if you lost that sword?"

The question took him by surprise. "Well, the blade cannot be wielded by anyone else, so I needn't worry about it being used inappropriately."

"But would you be upset at losing it? Would you be able to fight at your best without it?"

"I...suppose, but while I would be furious with whoever stole it, there are always other weapons I could do just as well with even if I prefer Ragnell. Why do you ask?"

In response she lowered her gaze to the empty scabbard at her waist. Ike retrieved Parallel Falchion and returned it to her before he spoke again. "Well, you dropped it just now, but that doesn't explain earlier."

"I...dropped it off the side into the forest," Lucina admitted hesitantly, staring at the ground. "Master Hand got it back for me."

"Oh, well, we all make mistakes - "

"But that's not it! It's not just a weapon or symbol to me, it's the memento of my father! All that...I have left of him..."

"And so when you lost it, you felt as though you failed your father," Ike finished. He was tempted to comfort her, but he kept his hands away; if she wanted contact, it would be up to her to initiate it, lest she take anything he did the wrong way in hindsight. His instincts were affirmed a second later when Lucina reached out for him and started sobbing into his shoulder when he accepted.

"I-Ike...I w-wasn't able to s-stop my aunt's death, I b-botched the tournament, and now I a-almost lost Falchion...I j-just feel...s-so worthless..."

"None of that now, Lucina. I understand that you're frustrated, but you know the tournament wasn't your fault. Everyone, even Master Hand, has said it already. And your presence in the past hasn't been for naught; your father wasn't injured in the assassination attempt, thus his wounds won't be hindering him in whatever awaits. I'm also sure Chrom would be understanding of what just happened, given how clumsy he is too."

"H-hah," she managed a weak laugh. "I s-suppose that is true; i-it runs in the family apparently."

Ike held her in silence for a little longer until he was sure she had regained her composure, then let go. To his surprise Lucina kept her arms around him and her head in his shoulder. An awkward silence, interrupted only by the occasional muffled sniff, ensured until the Radiant Hero finally spoke. "Um...Lucina?"

"Hmm?"

Ike didn't respond immediately. What wouldn't come across as being rude? He couldn't think of any response that fit the criteria.

"Is something wrong?" Lucina asked, looking up at him.

"Well...it's just...you were hugging me for a while...other people might get the wrong idea..."

She immediately let go. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were uncomfortable with it - "

He shrugged. "It's behind us now, and besides, if it made you feel better, than I am happy to be of service."

"Thank you for allowing me to; I think I needed that," Lucina admitted. "Goodnight, Lord Ike."

"Take care, Lucina," he called after her as they parted. The princess looked behind her at the retreating shadow of the Radiant Hero. A sudden longing surged through her consciousness, leaving her thoroughly confused.

 _"What was the cause of that? Could it be that I'm...attracted to him?"_ She shook her head. _"No, that is madness. I am above such carnal desires._ _He's just a friend, nothing more."_

A low howling drew her attention and she looked up to see a shadow flying low over the courtyard, almost invisible against the inky black sky save a pair of orange contrails behind it. As she watched the shadow did a few loops before flying out of sight. _"Well, at least the others seem to be having fun..."_

* * *

 **A few hours earlier**

"Wow, this place is a lot more vibrant than I expected," Rock commented as he walked down the main street of Smashville with Link, Zelda, Pit, and Sonic.

"You don't need giant LED screens or flashy displays to make things eye-catching," Sonic replied. "You should see some of the zones Eggman makes his bases in."

"I think the Skull-Egg Zone was enough of an indication."

"Nah, that's just the worst of Eggman's tastes combined with what I imagine are the worst of Wily's. Some of them are pretty neat-looking; shame I never brought a camera with me, the views at some points can be spectacular."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Hey, we should check out that place!" Pit exclaimed, gesturing at a store with a multitude of trophies in the display window.

"What is there to look at?" Zelda grumbled. "All their inventory is just trophies of everyone. I, for one, don't need to see myself in so many different and awkward poses."

"But trophies are so cool! Just don't look at the ones of yourself!"

"You don't find staring at and collecting effigies of your friends disturbing in the least?" Link asked incredulously.

Pit rubbed the back of his head. "Um...when you put it that way...I think I'll pass."

"Must you side with Zelda on everything?" Rock remarked to the Hero of Hyrule.

"She and I just happened to agree on this matter," he replied stiffly.

"Relax, I'm not trying to ship you two together; I'm probably the least-qualified matchmaker out there."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Ship?"

"Get you two to...well, date each other." The explanation was met with a scowl from Zelda, so he quickly continued. "'Shipping' is a more modern term for it, though it also carries the connotation of forcibly doing it, possibly against both individuals' wishes."

"Well, that's a realm I could do with not touching," the Hylian princess sighed. Link nodded in agreement.

"Probably smart, down that road in general lays madness."

"It is rather interesting to think about; we may be heroes, but on some matters commoners can do better than us."

The android shrugged. "Nobody who was ever successful was truly alone; that always holds true to some extent."

"Indeed. There were countless individuals who aided me at some point during my travels, even if I was the one who took the credit."

Pit's yelling drew their attention away from the conversation. Apparently he'd tried to sneak into a bar and happened to run into Palutena on the way. Though the angel had insisted it was only to hear what people were saying about the Smashers, the goddess wasn't amused in the slightest. Link and Rock were just in time to see Pit's glowing wings lift him into the air and back towards the mansion, while the angel himself was being dragged along dejectedly.

"Poor guy, I'd hate to have someone looming over me like that," Sonic commented.

"In some ways I guess it helps; he doesn't have so many decisions to make," Rock pointed out.

"Dude, you are literally the only one with that problem."

"He has a point; having your freedom restricted means you don't do as much thinking for yourself," Link retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, well, he's the only one who thinks that's a good thing."

"I can't disagree with you there."

"Are we going to keep standing in the middle of the street and get run over?" Zelda asked with a tinge of impatience. Though not above philosophical debate herself and fully capable of it, she never found entertainment in doing so.

"You can't run over something that isn't there," Sonic bragged, and proceeded to do a lap around her to prove his point. Unfortunately he didn't check the path of his orbit first and ran straight into a lamppost, much to the amusement of the others.

"Everything in moderation, Sonic," she scolded.

"Alright, you win," the hedgehog grumbled, and they continued on their way.

* * *

Rock sat on a bench in the moonlit garden, absentmindedly petting Rush, who was contently rolling a rubber ball that his master had bought for him back and forth between his paws.

He was thinking about what Elec Man had said. Once a villain, always a villain. As much as he didn't believe that, the evidence was in his brother's favor. Every one of Wily's "redemptions" had been for the purpose of some new scheme, be it seizing Gamma or gaining leverage over the Robot Masters of the world with the Roboenza cure. Sure, there was the counterexample of Dr. Cossack, but the scientist was blackmailed. He didn't think that counted.

There was another, special layer of meaning to that phrase as well, courtesy of Asimov's Laws of Robotics. The late sci-fi writer had died long before technology reached the point where his laws had real-world applications, but in a way the strict lines set by the laws was a blessing in that it left virtually no gray area.

That was about all he could thank the Laws for. Humanity's existence, no matter how wicked, took priority over his in the plainest language possible. The only room for ambiguity was what constituted "harm to humans." He preferred to play it safe and call any injury, physical or psychological, as harm; after all, he wasn't one to use lethal weaponry on a group of schoolyard bullies. His brothers weren't so fortunate; because of their time with Dr. Wily, the government had restricted their ability to intervene to only life-threatening or lethal situations such as a terrorist attack. Elec Man had already been arrested and put on trial for killing a plant worker that was attempting to send the nuclear reactors into meltdown; though he was later acquitted, the incident had raised many questions, both among the Light household and the public.

 _"If we can't intervene to stop people from hurting each other until they've already done so, what point is there in interven_ _ing? More importantly, what point is there in interfering if someone isn't directly causing harm?"_ The latter question had been the bane of his role as a protector since day one of Wily's descent into crime. As one of the lead roboticists of the world, he knew full well to what extent he could milk the Laws for protection, and had always been careful to avoid stepping over the line, regardless of what other lack of morals he might have.

Every Robot Master and every minion were programmed to cause destruction with no regard for human life, but simply programming them with what was infamously dubbed the "Wily Directive" didn't count as direct harm by the doctor. The ruling of _Mega City v. Light_ had set that definition in stone: Dr. Light wasn't responsible for the actions of his reprogrammed Robot Masters and their subordinates, not because Wily had reprogrammed them, but because the robots had carried out the acts of harm against humans based on their AI's interpretation of the Wily Directive. Unfortunately, the same interpretation also extended that protection to Dr. Wily, meaning that whatever actions his robots took, he was still under the protection of the Laws because it could never be proven that he explicitly ordered them to harm humans.

Since nobody could ever get close enough to Wily for a prolonged period to obtain such evidence, time and time again, Rock was forced to let him go even after destroying every last asset the doctor had in his arsenal. His nemesis was always careful to never use the Wily Machines for anything other than self-defense, and while that decision made it harder for any plan to succeed, it ensured his survival; and with Proto Man doing most of his dirty work in the past and Bass taking the same role in the present, Wily never needed to do anything himself. A fact that Proto Man learned the hard way when he was forced into exile after the International Court of Justice issued a death warrant for his kidnapping of Kalinka. The warrant was rescinded following the incident with Dark Man a few months later, Rock having convinced the Court that the impostor was behind the kidnapping.

There wasn't a kernel of truth to that, but no one could prove otherwise, and those who did know the truth also knew that Proto Man was the one who rescued Kalinka. Nevertheless the issuing of the warrant had been an eye-opener to the Blue Bomber, second only to the moment in which he had attempted to kill Wily following Bass' betrayal. It was a moment that could easily have spelled his own demise; fortunately, nobody save his direct family knew about it.

 _"I was almost driven by rage to do something unforgivable...is it possible that there might be more to my moral code than just the Laws? Dr. Light thinks so, but I can't take that chance in combat. One wrong move and the Emerald Spears and other anti-robot groups will seize every opportunity to have me either arrested or scrapped. I have no problem with paying a penalty for my mistakes, but what will the world do without me? Proto Man can't do it alone, not when his power system is flawed, it's only a matter of time before Wily figures out how to rein in Bass, and we can't rely on Duo to solve all of our problems."_

He'd never found an answer for any of those questions, and each new incident with Wily only served to complicate the picture. Rock wasn't even sure why he dwelt on such matters any more given the futility of finding even a personal answer. Perhaps, as his siblings had suggested, it was best to just focus on his job and leave the thinking to humans; after all, they made the Laws, so shouldn't they be the only ones to interpret them?

 _"Easy to say when you don't deal with threats to humanity on an almost regular basis..."_

He sighed. This shouldn't be the time to think about such things; he'd just made quite a favorable impression among the Super Smash Brothers with his win, and who cared what some drunk townspeople who lost a bet said? It wouldn't hurt to live more in the moment for once; Master Hand had promised that his world was safe as long as the tournament was going on. And besides, whatever happened in this world, safeguarding it wasn't up to him: that was Master Hand's job. Even in a worst-case scenario like the Subspace Emissary fiasco, he was surrounded by heroes of equal or even greater standing than himself.

 _"I think I'm letting the opinions of others get to me. Sonic's right: the opinions of those close to me are more important, both here and back home. Especially here, where the opinions of the public don't carry any legal weight."_ He stood and admired the scenery for a moment. Having lived in a metropolis for all of his life, he'd thought Titanium Park was a wondrous display of nature. But this was true wilderness beyond the plateau that the mansion rested upon, and he'd never seen the likes of it.

 _"It's so peaceful here. I should make a point of visiting national parks in my world more often; I never realized how much good a change of scenery could do me."_

Rush uttered a whine of curiosity and stood up, picking up the ball with his mouth.

"Yeah, I think it's time to go back inside too." Rock took a few power biscuits from his pocket (one of the more useful improvements to his body) and offered one to his companion, who dropped the ball and promptly consumed it. When the ball threatened to roll off the edge, Rush dove for it despite needing only to reach a paw out to stop it. The android smiled; his dog's antics never ceased to amuse him.

Rush brought the ball back and deposited it at his feet. "No, boy, let's not play fetch here where we could lose it - " he chuckled as Rush started trying to pull the remaining two biscuits from his hand. "Alright, you can have them." He picked up the ball and put it in his pocket while waiting for the robotic canine to finish.

"C'mon, Rush, let's go," he called once the former straightened. To his surprise Rush didn't follow but transformed into his jet form. "That eager to get back, are you?" Rock joked as he patted his head while stepping on. "Alright, let's fly. Show me what you got, boy!"


	7. Free Time

**Author's Note: Firstly, I'm very sorry about the phantom update at the start of the weekend. I thought I removed a chapter by mistake and uploaded the same document under different names for whatever reason. Not a good idea to do anything after finishing two midterms.**

 **Secondly, I'm sorry that this came out a good month behind schedule. I know I promised I would adhere to the original update frequency of once every two weeks, but between school, looking for stuff to do over the summer, and everything else in life I didn't find the time to think of ideas.**

 **Yeah, it didn't help that this chapter gave me several solid cases of writer's block. Thank you to my friends and co-author Flying Chariot for helping me resolve that or this would have taken even longer to finish.**

* * *

"Morning," Sonic greeted Rock as he joined the former, Link, Zelda, and Pit at the breakfast table. "Got any plans for today?"

"Not really, is there anything interesting going on?"

"I'm getting Lady Palutena back for last night, if that's something you define as 'interesting,'" Pit chimed in.

"Er...Pit, no offense, but that sounds like a personal problem. And seeing as she thinks she's getting away with it, I'd imagine that you'd be better off not retaliating."

The angel looked sullen. "Fine."

Rock turned back to Sonic. "So what do people do when there's no tournament?"

"Other than the little games that Master Hand has set up, most people do friendlies with each other. Technically it's against the rules, but Master Hand hasn't had a problem with it so long as they remain friendly."

"I see. I was thinking about trying out that Target Blast game later, wanna come?"

"Nah, I'm going to save those for when friendlies start getting boring. I've got a match against Sheik later. Where is she, anyway? I never see her around since this tournament started."

The android looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? For all of your orders to to research you seem to do very little yourself."

Sonic chuckled. "Guess you did what I asked after all since you seem to know that Sheik is really - hyy!" He abruptly cut off as Zelda kicked him under the table, despite facing the opposite direction and immersed in animated conversation with Link.

Rock snickered. "What is that old saying about a woman scorned?"

The hedgehog switched tacks instantly. "Sooo...any suggestions about what to do?"

"Aren't you supposed to have more ideas than I?"

"Well, the movie theater got some new films recently. We could go see one," Pit suggested before the argument got any further.

"I'm down," Sonic replied.

"We should ask around to see if anyone else is interested," Rock suggested. "We can't be the only ones with a boredom problem."

"I can talk to Ness and some of the other younger Smashers," Pit volunteered.

"Zelda and I can ask some of the other veterans," Link responded. "I'm sure Ike wouldn't be opposed to it."

"What about newcomers like Lucina?" Sonic asked.

"I can ask them," Rock offered. "Speaking of her though, has anyone seen her since last night?"

"Now that you mention it...I don't think I have."

"I haven't see her yet, either," Link replied.

"Most odd. Is she training?" Zelda pondered.

"Certainly wouldn't be unlike her to," Rock mused. "Should we ask someone else?"

Sonic leaned back in his chair. "Nah, she'll turn up if she wants to. No point in forcing her to do anything if we want to stay her friends."

"That may have been the most intelligent statement you've said to or in regard towards Lucina yet."

"Man, are you ever going to let that comment from last night go?"

"Until you stop being insensitive towards others like that, no!"

The hedgehog raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, sensei, I am not worthy of your teachings; I shall endeavor to improve myself before seeking your wisdom again," he replied with a straight face and even tone.

Rock planted his face in his food out of frustration. "Someone remind me of why I befriended this creature." The others just laughed.

* * *

Across the room, the _Fire Emblem_ heroes were in a very different discussion.

"Out training, and for that long? But the next tournament isn't for a week," Chrom observed. "She certainly is diligent."

"Yes...well, Lucina seems to be taking yesterday's loss very seriously," Ike replied. "I didn't want to embarrass her so I didn't say anything - "

"It's fine, Ike. I appreciate you informing me, but I will not dictate what she can and cannot do; she is an adult, or, at the very least, more than capable of making her own decisions, and making good ones too."

"Indeed, she seems to have found herself a group of friends a lot faster than I did," Marth remarked. "Of course, there were fewer people back when I joined, so perhaps she had and easier time finding people like herself."

"Considering that she is a bit younger than most of the veterans, I would agree," Robin commented. "She seems to have befriended mostly the younger fighters."

"Are you implying that she is childish, Robin?" The Radiant Hero asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I said nothing of the sort, I was merely making an observation about Lucina's friends," the tactician retorted. "Regardless, she has her father's talent for making allies of nearly everyone she comes across."

Chrom dismissed his statement with a shake of his head. "I might have it, but I can't call it mine. That was always...Emm's way."

"...Anyway," Ike said after an uncomfortable silence, "I have a friendly with Samus soon, good day to you all." He stood to leave, though in truth, he had nothing of the sort planned.

While he had no criticisms about Chrom letting Lucina be her own person, the Radiant Hero knew firsthand exactly how driven she was. The fact that she didn't seem to have taken any of his words yesterday seriously was indication enough of that, despite having trusted him dogmatically on everything since they had started training together.

When he knocked on her door, she answered after a pause, to his surprise.

"Is there something you need, Ike?" Lucina asked, poking her head out of the door.

"No, nothing in particular. I saw you training earlier and I merely wanted to make sure you weren't pushing yourself too hard. You remember what I told you last night, right?"

"Yes, of course, and I appreciate your concern. I train every day out of habit." Suddenly she looked suspicious. "Did my father put you up to this?"

Ike raised an eyebrow. "What gave you that idea?"

"I...well, it's just that nobody has previously shown this much concern over my well-being except my parents."

"Friendships that you form in peace are very different from those formed in war," Ike commented in response. "Chrom had absolutely nothing to do with me coming here."

Lucina dropped her gaze slightly. "I see. My apologies. I thought he might be reneging on his promise from earlier."

Ike gave a casual wave of a hand. "Nothing to apologize for, although, if I may ask, what did he promise?" A thought suddenly occurred to him and he held up his hand before Lucina could respond. "Wait. Might I come in before we discuss this? We won't have as great a chance of being overheard; I'd imagine you want to keep this private."

"Oh, well...um..." Lucina turned scarlet. "I-I just got out of the shower..."

Ike winced in embarrassment as he felt his face react similarly. Now he noticed that her hair was indeed still damp and he could see a little of her bare shoulder. How had he not noticed any of that before?

"I can get dressed quickly and let you in," she offered hastily to fill the awkward silence.

Ike nodded, still too embarrassed to say much besides a "thank you." He put it from his mind as Lucina darted back inside her room.

 _"Gods, how did I miss that? I hope Lucina didn't take that the wrong way, especially since apparently nobody's been this caring of her - "_

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "Ike? Are you still there?"

"Yes, I am."

In response she opened the door. He stepped inside and waited for her to close it before saying anything. "Picking up where we left off..."

"After the incident with Captain Falcon on the first day my father asked if I wanted him to protect me. I turned down his request; I was expecting him to say I had no choice in the matter, but he promised to oblige my request."

"Ah, yes, I recall you were rather uncomfortable with the fact that he forced Falcon to apologize for that."

"Well, it gives the impression that I can't look after myself so I - "

"You don't need to explain anything to me. I understand now."

The room's air conditioner suddenly started up, sending a draft at them. Lucina shuddered involuntarily as the cool air swept through her wet hair. "Ooh..."

"I'm sorry, did my visit prevent you from drying your hair?"

"It's not a problem, the day is warm and I was planning to go outside afterwards."

"The air conditioning in here can still give you a cold," Ike reminded her, indicating for her to move away from the vent. "Wait there." He ducked inside the bathroom. Among the things Master Hand stocked every room with was a hairdryer; he'd never touched his, but he was guessing Lucina probably hadn't either. His hunch was correct when found it in the first drawer he looked in.

"Ike? Are you alright?" The princess' voice came from behind him as she peered in to see what he was doing.

"I was merely searching for something that would make your life easier." He handed her the hairdryer. "Use this. I am afraid I am not well-versed in how to use it as I never had the need to, but I am sure one of the other women could help you." The Radiant Hero glanced around out of habit before continuing in a lower tone. "Or Marth, but do be aware that he thinks nobody knows that he uses it."

"That's hardly a nice thing to - " Lucina suddenly stopped herself and looked down. "My apologies, I'm still used to taking everything literally."

"Well, you're making progress," Ike commended.

"Evidently not enough though."

"You're being too hard on yourself, it's been only a week."

"But I'm trying so hard not to make a fool of myself and I still am. I'm afraid it might be something I just can't do."

The Radiant Hero chuckled in response. "It's okay to not be good at a few things. That's why we can do more as a group than as individuals."

"But who can I confide my weaknesses in besides Father? You know as well as I that we can't aid each others' worlds, and I don't have the luxury of dogmatic trust."

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question for you. All I can try to do is convince you that it is possible to trust people and be cautious at the same time. I must be going now, see you later."

"Farewell, Ike." Once the Radiant Hero left, Lucina briefly scrutinized the device in her hands out of habit before walking back into the bathroom and setting it down.

 _"Don't be paranoid; did you really think Ike would have tampered with it in some way?"_ she chided herself as she plugged it in and turned it on. Putting a hand in front of the hairdryer to feel the stream of warm air it produced was enough to ascertain how to use it. _"Why would he ever seek to harm you?"_

She really wanted to kick the habit of being suspicious of everyone and everything. It wasn't necessary here and on top of that it was embarrassing. But she hadn't lied when she told Ike that even her best efforts to were for naught. Sure, she could see herself being paranoid or literal in hindsight, but never in the moment. By that point, any realization was of no use.

 _"Why must the nuances of social interaction_ always _escape me?"_ Lucina heaved a frustrated sigh that was lost in the whir of the device. Improving her social skills was one of the few things she'd been dead set on accomplishing, perhaps even what she'd been most motivated to do in a long time, and hadn't seen some sort of improvement on immediately.

This wasn't a feeling she was used to. _"But,"_ she thought as she put the hairdryer away, _"I won't allow myself to concede defeat so easily. If I need practice to improve my social skills, then practice I will. I just need to talk to more people, how hard could that be?"_

Resolving to follow up on her thoughts, the princess left her room to find out what her friends were up to. With only her intuition to guide her, she was praying she wouldn't get lost...

* * *

Mega Man watched as his charged shot launched the bomb into the amalgamation of blocks and targets in front of him, noting to his satisfaction that the explosive had soared right along the path he calculated would cause the most damage. When it went off, the android watched the score counter climb rapidly. Just as it started to level off, a secondary bomb embedded in the structure exploded as well. It was a few more moments before the debris finally settled.

"A new record!" Master Hand's pre-recorded voice proclaimed. De-armoring, Rock waited for the force field dividing the bomb-launching platform to drop before walking over to the console. The display was currently flashing his score with the text "new record," but he paid it no mind. Of course it was going to be a record; this was the first time he'd tried it after perfecting his technique.

He switched to the tab that showed his Global Smash Power. According to the explanation provided, it was a measure of how well he stacked up against both the other Smashers and those who could play an exact replication of the game on a game console. Right now the number was in the six digits; Rock had no idea what the total player pool was, but he took it to be a good result for his relative inexperience.

"Damn, is there something you don't get the hang of immediately?" Sonic asked from the stands. Apparently Master Hand had saw fit to erect a half-Coliseum for spectators despite his declaration that Target Blast would never be an official tournament mode. "Took me a lot longer than that to even figure out how this game works."

Rock shrugged as he walked over. "Nah, there's some game that everyone in my world is obsessed about that does pretty much the same thing, so it wasn't hard to figure out. Plus, this is a lot simpler than that. How'd your friendly go?"

The hedgehog grumbled sourly in response. "Stupid tier lists..."

"Um...aren't those formed by community opinion?"

"Hey, someone at the bottom or top of it got there for a reason, don'tcha think?"

The android shrugged. "Maybe. I take those with a grain of salt anyways; those are meant for one-on-ones, and from what I've heard the Hands want to make this tournament more team-based. Speaking of which, apparently Crazy is picking our partners for the next one."

"You went and asked him?"

"So what if I did?"

Sonic chuckled. "Rock, there's no need to be _that_ serious." When the android just shrugged noncommittally the hedgehog continued. "One would think the Hands are not-so-casually trying to ship some of us together, and the fact that teams in the last days of the previous tournament were decided by popular vote doesn't assuage my fears in the slightest. I'm just glad that most people are interested in shipping me with someone from my own world rather than someone from here if they see me as shipping material here at all."

"Being rated towards the bottom of that tier list probably helped you there." The remark earned something between a glare and a quizzical glance from the blue blur. "Hey, I never said that tier lists were useless, just that they aren't necessarily indicators of how a match should go."

"Yeah yeah, just enjoy your grace period from the rabid fans before they start pairing up the newcomers. Once that starts you are never going to want an interview by the Smashville newspaper ever again; better get the mandatory one out of the way."

"Wait, what? I thought that was a suggestion, not a requirement!"

"They'll start hounding you an only you if you're the only one who didn't take it; Snake lasted the longest under their badgering before he gave in, and that was only a month." Sonic leaped off his seat and landed lightly besides his friend, who was now staring at the ground in horror.

"There needs to be some sort of rule around here that stops them from hounding us."

"Paparazzi and gossip will always find loopholes to feed off of, it's how they work. Best you can do is roll with the system, unfortunately."

"Rrgh...and just when I thought I would be getting away from them..." Rock slapped one hand on the wall and leaned on it.

"Hey man, be grateful any limits the press has is on what they can publish - "

"Does suggesting you are involved in incest with your sister count as within those limits here?"

"WHAT?!" Sonic cleared his throat. "I mean...that sucks for you. Didn't realize media left a bad taste in your mouth for that kind of reason."

"Nobody does," Rock grumbled.

"Hey man, don't get sour with me over that. How am I supposed to do anything about it? Anyways, you probably feel better about it now that you've found someone who sympathizes with you rather than ogle at the headline."

"And?"

"It's only going to get worse. We've all complained to Master Hand about it, but apparently he's not at liberty to stop them. The good thing about that is since everyone is victimized by this garbage at some point, nobody's laughing when it happens to others and we just all avoid the topic. When you're among us, you don't have to keep your anger over that kind of libelous crap to yourself, we can all sympathize."

The android stared at him. "Who are you and what did you do with the animal that was teasing me at breakfast earlier?"

Sonic smiled with satisfaction. "Told ya, I'm not all bad. Seems like sensei still has a bit to learn himself."

"Will you please stop calling me that?" Rock protested.

"Only if you take back what you said at breakfast. And hurry it up, will you, time's wasting and the others are probably getting impatient."

"You realize that will make me want to renege on that statement even _less_ , right? And you mean to tell me that you delayed retrieving me just for that?"

"Nah, we're not meeting for a bit, Sheik bodied me a bit more easily than I thought she would. But all the same, we're due soon." Sonic stretched his arms and started for the exit. Sighing with exasperation at the conversation that had just taken place, Rock followed.

* * *

Lucina was lost.

It was foolish, humiliating, and should have happened under no sensible circumstances, but nevertheless, the princess of Ylisse couldn't navigate through a building without losing her way. She cursed her lack of foresight to bring the map Peach had given her: after checking the few places she knew how to get to, she'd taken to wandering around in the hopes of finding someone.

So much for that working. Apart from seeing absolutely no one, she had no idea which side led towards the center of the building, which had open-air areas that she could use to find her bearings. No, of all places she had to get lost in, it had to be a maze of windowless corridors, devoid of clues to help her figure out where she was.

 _"Think,"_ she told herself. _"There has to be an exit otherwise I couldn't have entered here."_

A sharp pain seared her forehead. Lucina looked up through the stars dotting her vision to see she'd run into a low ceiling. She took another step forward and almost fell as her head throbbed again.

 _"I should wait for it to subside, it's not like I won't be able to backtrack later, the passages are lit."_

However the torches went out in the next instant, leaving her in total darkness. Lucina fought the sudden urge to panic and forced herself to take a deep breath. _"It's the same corridor, just without lighting. There isn't anyone else here - "_ Something suddenly echoed from further down the corridor, causing her to jump. She backed away slowly from the direction it came from, hand on Falchion's hilt.

Remembering that the passage turned right in the direction that she was headed, she changed course cautiously, her right hand on the wall to confirm her memory. A brief flash from behind her caused the princess to whirl around, looking for the source of it. After a few moments she gave up and resumed her slow walk only to promptly slip on something and fall hard.

 _"What the - "_ her hand quickly found the culprit. _"A banana peel? That wasn't there when I entered."_ Suddenly she heard light footsteps from the direction she had come; just as quickly as they had reached her ears, they faded away. She tried to keep her voice calm as she got to her feet, but, truth be told, the darkness and sudden noises were beginning to scare her.

 _"Don't let it get to you, remember that there's no one else here,"_ she told herself. _"You're just hearing things. Focus on getting out of here."_

 _"Then who dropped the banana peel?"_ Another part of her asked. _"You can't let your guard down."_

On cue she felt something cold touch the back of her neck. Lucina yelped and scrambled away, drawing her weapon and aiming it down the corridor. There was no mistaking it now; someone was here with her! "W-who's there?! Show yourself!"

* * *

 **Supreme Hierophant's Chambers, Plegia Castle**

"Heheh...nobody in particular, princess..." Grima muttered with a smirk. He briefly switched focus to the courtyard to see what the Hands were up to before returning his attention to controlling the bot Donkey Kong he'd summoned.

It had proven the most difficult test yet, but while Tabuu had noted that they might have issues with controlling them, the Fell Dragon had experienced nothing of that sort, despite Tabuu recording in his notes that it would be harder to control a larger one. Grima had also decided against taking the easy route and summoning it on an empty stage before teleporting it to wherever he desired; that was looking to be the wiser decision now that summoning them outside of the arenas had turned out to be easier than expected. There was also the less strenuous exercise of summoning some items for his little ambush, but that was trivial by comparison. So, too, was doing simple things like cutting power to the artificial torches on the walls.

If he were completely honest with himself, the temptation to ignore the remainder of the tests that Tabuu had planned and simply proceed with his own plans of wreaking havoc was only increasing with each successful test. Now was also a better time than ever since there were only two of the Hands and the stability engines were offline. Projecting his influence was also only going to get harder once they were re-activated.

But at the same time, he couldn't torment his princess too much in short order or else it might arouse suspicion, and he would have to carefully plan out each time he did in order to minimize traces back to him.

* * *

 **Courtyard, Smash Mansion**

"You doing okay, Crazy?" Master Hand asked as they briefly met in the courtyard. "I appreciate you helping me with this, but it wasn't necessary."

"Yes, yes, just fine, I must admit this is a lot more exciting than sitting in the office organizing the tournament."

"Glad to hear it, although don't think I'm going to exempt you from your ADHD meds forever. I'm going to quickly check on how the Waddle Dees are doing with the stability engine upgrades, think you can hold things down?"

"Count on it - " Crazy suddenly whirled around. "Wait, I sense an external influence."

"Now that you mention it...I feel it too. But how? Normally this reality exerts influence on any other worlds, not the other way around. And this has happened twice in two days now."

"Maybe Tabuu isn't as finished as we thought. I think it's coming from the stage selection catacomb we used for the Melee tournament."

"Lead the way."

 _"Crazy's hyperness is reaping more dividends than I anticipated. It's a good thing I brought him back for this tournament."_

* * *

Lucina scrutinized the darkness, simultaneously straining to make out any sounds of movement, but it remained as black and silent as ever. Now that she was certain there was someone in close proximity to her, though, she couldn't shake a sense of claustrophobia as she slowly backed away.

Her back collided with something solid. Cautiously, she reached her arms out to search for the direction the corridor turned, thinking she'd hit a corner. That notion was dispelled a second later when the object she was feeling seized both of her arms.

* * *

 **Plegia Castle**

Grima gently closed his eyes in concentration. Now that he was controlling two bots, independent of each other, the workload had gone way up.

Suddenly the connection cut. "What?"

A glance through his viewportal showed the two Hands approaching one of the entrances to the catacombs. The Fell Dragon cursed. Reaching a hand for a sleeping tome that he'd kept handy for just such a contingency, he shot the magical bolt through the viewportal. Without waiting to see its effects, he dispelled the two Donkey Kongs and lit the torches with a wave of his hand. Finally he teleported Lucina back to where she had been before his experiment began and shut the viewportal.

Not a moment too soon; the Hands had come into view of the entrance an instant after the torches lit. He was lucky that the tactician within him had saw fit to erect a magical "trip wire" to provide him with early warning of any intervention and taken all the other precautions. Even so, it looked like that hadn't been enough. Only his own proficiency had saved him from being caught.

 _"It seems a lot more planning will be in order before we meet again, princess."_

* * *

 **Smash Mansion**

"Crazy? What's wrong?" Master Hand asked as his brother suddenly stopped.

"They got away, the sneaky bastards. We'll never catch them now; whoever did that was not only smart enough to cover their tracks, but proficient enough to do a complete job of it in seconds." The other hand started swearing up and down in frustration as he paced the hallway.

"...If it isn't too much to ask," Master Hand inquired after a while of this, "Can you return to patrol duty? I'm going to finish checking on the Waddle Dees."

"Huh?! Wha - !" Crazy spun in a circle before focusing on his brother again. "Oh, it was you. Sure, I'll get back on it."

Master Hand shook from side to side in exasperation as his brother flew back down the hall in the direction they'd come from, humming to himself as though nothing had happened. The fact that they were polar opposites and yet got along so well never ceased to amaze him, and the creator was not a being easily impressed.

* * *

"Uhh..." Lucina groaned groggily and opened her eyes to find herself laying spread-eagled on the stone floor. _"What? Where am I?"_

Immediately she sat upright, head on a swivel for any interlopers. Pain seared through her head and stars erupted in front of her eyes at the sudden motion. She grit her teeth and put an arm behind her to remain sitting upright, the other hand instinctively rubbing her temples.

 _"Don't be silly, there's nobody else here,"_ she reminded herself as she waited for it to subside. _"But...then who grabbed me while the torches weren't lit?"_

A fresh, although weaker wave of pain struck her. _"If it still hurts this badly, then there was no way I could have walked around like this before now. It must have just been some strange dream then."_ She tried to recall the sequence of events that happened in the darkened corridor, but it was hazy. That in itself was puzzling; usually her memory was quite clear, even with regards to dreams. _"Perhaps I should go see Dr. Mario if I hit my head hard enough to be knocked unconscious, but first things first, I need to get out of here."_

She slowly got to her feet and was relieved when nothing seemed to happen for the worse. _"Backtrack, Lucina. There has to be an exit somewhere otherwise you couldn't have gotten in here."_

* * *

Somehow, despite her aching head, she managed to find her way out. By this point her headache was almost gone, but she headed for the infirmary anyways to check with Dr. Mario.

"Pardon me, Dr. Mario, but I was wondering if you had a moment?"

"Of course, Lucina, what brings you here?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure I didn't injure myself earlier in training."

"I see. What in particular are you concerned about?"

"I got hit in the head and, well, it just seemed to be abnormally painful, and it lasted oddly long."

"Hm, you said you were training? Did you keep yourself hydrated and your electrolytes replenished?"

"Er - not really." Truthfully she had no idea what 'electrolytes' were, but she hadn't drunk much water since she returned from training so she had answered no. It probably wouldn't matter; the entire scenario was a cover-up she'd rehearsed on the way to the medical ward because she was too embarrassed to admit how she'd actually hurt herself.

"Well, that might be a contributing factor, especially on a day like this. Is it still hurting?"

"Not really."

"How long has it been?"

"About twenty minutes."

"And did you have any other symptoms besides a headache?"

"A little bit of dizziness, but it passed quickly."

The "doctor" was silent for a moment as he contemplated the information. "Well, I suspect that there isn't anything permanent, but if you feel a need to verify that, I can get an X-Ray of your head. It shouldn't take too long."

Lucina pondered the matter for a little bit. "Alright. I'm in no rush."

* * *

"Oh, hello there, Lucina," Ike greeted as she left the medical ward ten minutes later. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I wanted to check with Dr. Mario about something."

"A wise decision. You can never be too careful when it comes to caring for yourself."

"What brings you to this part of the mansion?"

The Radiant Hero sighed. "Business, I'm afraid. I just returned here after receiving payment for my last contract." Off her confused look, he explained, "Now that the conflicts in Tellius are settled, I have been traveling the world looking for work as a mercenary."

"That must be awful, having to worry about your survival day-to-day."

"It's not all bad, in a world with no shortage of brigands, there will always be someone who needs protecting or wants something protected."

"I see." Lucina sighed with relief, the awful thought of her friend being forced to steal for his survival disappearing from mind.

"Did I say something?"

"Huh?" She didn't realize she hadn't contained her sigh. "Oh, I was concerned that you might have resorted to...unsavory methods to survive."

"Come now, Lucina, just because I live the life of a mercenary does not mean that I am not allowed to have a conscience."

"But what if you can't find any work?"

He chuckled. "Your concern is quite endearing; thank you. But let me ask you this: you heard of me before you came here, did you not?"

"Y-yes, I did."

"Then what makes you think that people who are in need of the services I provide will reject the Radiant Hero himself?"

Lucina lowered her gaze. "Forgive my insensitivity, I didn't know - "

"You needn't be sorry for everything, not everything is within your control. Have you any plans for the remainder of the day?" he asked to change the subject.

"Well, I was hoping to find the others and I got...erm...lost..."

"It's not hard to, between Master Hand's continual expansions and his blocking of Crazy Hand's attempts to demolish older parts of the building, the mansion and grounds are only going to keep getting bigger. Not to mention that Master Hand keeps renovating older parts to make them bigger as well." They were just entering the mansion's foyer and Radiant Hero gestured at the tall ceiling to prove his point. "It was a lot shorter and the decor more subdued when I first came here - "

"There you are, Ike! You even brought Lucina with you; well that makes our job easier!"

"We've been looking for both of you," Rock explained.

"For what, may I ask?" Lucina replied.

"Pit's organizing a group outing. Ike went looking for you because he thought you might want to go with us as well after we asked him."

"So are you in?" Sonic asked.

She nodded. "Well, that sounds interesting. If nothing else, it's something to do."

* * *

"Where are they? It's not at all like Sonic to be slow, or Rock to not be punctual," Link remarked. "Even if this outing was organized on short notice it shouldn't be that hard to find Lucina."

"Maybe they decided to skip and keep playing Target Blast?" Pit suggested. "I saw them go off in the direction of that arena."

Zelda shook her head. "That's not like either of them. Regardless, we are running out of time; should we leave without them?"

"Nah, we still have a bit. Besides there might be more people who just want to tag along; we already got Ness, Toon Link, Villager, and Shulk to join us," the Hero of Hyrule replied.

On cue, the two blue warriors emerged from the interior of the mansion, with Ike and, to everyone's surprise, Lucina trailing behind them.

"Hey, hey, everyone, sorry we're late," Sonic greeted as he waltzed up. Rock and Ike nodded in greeting at the others while Lucina gave a shy wave and a quiet "hello".

"So where are we going?" the hedgehog asked.

"We were thinking of seeing a movie in Smashville! I heard the theater got some good films recently," Pit explained excitedly.

"Pardon me, but...what is a movie?" Lucina asked.

"It's a collection of images strung together to look like animation," Ike explained to her. "Sort of like a moving picture or a story told visually, but they have sound to go with it too."

"I'm still not sure I fully understand, but it sounds intruiging," she replied, glad that her friends were understanding of her general ignorance of the technology of the modern day.

"Well, if we're waiting on nobody else, we should go." Link motioned with his arm for emphasis.

"So which are we thinking of watching?" Sonic asked as they passed the mansion gates.

Immediately argument broke out amongst the group members, though Rock, being his usual self and willing to roll with whatever film they decided on, along with Lucina and Shulk, with no knowledge of films at all, were left out. The instinct to isolate themselves from the debate led to them trailing a little ways behind the others.

The princess spoke first. "Er...is everyone usually this heated over something so trivial?"

"Cultural matters can be serious business to some people," the android replied absentmindedly, more interested in keeping tabs on the debate. "Have you ever heard a particular story that resonates with you, so to speak? That stuck in your mind, served as an inspiration, or something along those lines?"

"Even so, I still don't see how that explains...that." Shulk gestured at the group in debate up ahead, though by now it was an argument between Pit and Sonic with others backing up one side or the other.

The android sighed. "How to explain this..."

"Hey, Rock, help us settle this!" Sonic suddenly dropped back and started dragging him towards the others.

The android yanked his arm away. "Argh...why do you always tap Link or I to resolve your disputes? Settle it yourself for once, it won't kill you!"

"Um, perhaps I could assist in his stead?" Lucina inquired just as Sonic was about to retort.

"I'll go too," Shulk volunteered.

The hedgehog shrugged. "Sure. Extra voices are extra voices."

Rock said nothing, though his expression clearly said "good luck" to both of them.

* * *

"Ugh..." Lucina rubbed her temples as they entered the theater some minutes and an arduous debate later. "Now I see why Mega Man refused to do this."

"Well, you still did me a favor, and I greatly appreciate it. By the way, you can just call me Rock." Off her confused expression, he continued. "It's my real name, 'Mega Man' is just an alias I use. I think I told you where I derived it from, right?"

She nodded. After a brief pause while they waited in line the princess spoke again. "It must be nice, being able to don and shed an identity at will."

"Er...it's not quite that easy, and it's only on account of my ability to change appearance that I can get away with it at all. Keeping my separate identity secret brings almost as much trouble as it saves me. Back to the topic at hand, are you hungry? I'll buy you something as thanks."

"Oh, that is most generous of you, but I am fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Rock, I am."

"Aw, come on, why do you insist on looking a gift horse in the mouth?" Sonic complained.

"Why do you have to continually criticize other people?" Both Rock and Lucina retorted simultaneously. Upon realizing this the latter rounded on him. "For the umpteenth time, I don't need you to defend me!"

"Aaaand there you go stomping on other people again," Sonic drawled. "Also, I'm pretty sure you've only told him that twice, unless you two are up to something secretive - "

Rock merely rolled his eyes and left to join Link at the head of the group, but the princess turned red. "Wh-what? Th-that's nonsense!"

"If it has no basis in fact, then how did I get a rise out of you so easily?"

"Y-you didn't!"

"You're as red as a tomato and stammering. I think I definitely rattled you." When she tried to object again, he held his hand up. This continued for a little while before she ignored his gesture for silence which resulted in him pinching her lips shut.

"Mmmph!" She tried to demand that he let go of her, but all that came out were a series of unintelligible mumbles. After a few moments of struggling Lucina yanked herself free. "Sonic, I've had enough of this, please stop."

"Oh? Whatcha gonna do, if I don't, walk out on me? Too bad, it's not me that's apparently in love with you."

"Sonic, please..." she protested weakly, too overcome with embarrassment to say anything more. Not helping was the growing number of people listening in on their squabble, both group members and complete strangers.

Unfortunately for Sonic, the line hadn't moved much and thus the others further up in queue had heard the whole thing.

"For someone who hates shipping, you seem to enjoy teasing others with it a disproportionately large amount of the time," Rock commented, his arms folded. Flanking him were Link and Ike, wearing similar expressions of displeasure. "One might even say it's to the point of hypocrisy..."

"Eheheh..." Sonic rubbed the back of his head.

"Next," the ticket vendor called, silencing Link and Ike's additions to their friend's comment.

"Do **not** think we're done with you," Zelda scolded as Sonic visibly relaxed, holding up her right hand to show the spread of six needles she was holding. Visibly paling, the hedgehog swallowed with renewed nervousness. Satisfied that he would say or do nothing else out of turn, Zelda collapsed them into a stack and they disappeared in the next instant. "Toon Link, do me a favor and keep an eye on him."

"Sure thing!" he replied, still grinning from Sonic's reaction.

"Um...Zelda, where exactly did you put those?" Rock asked.

"Wherever she keeps the remainder of her stuff when she trans - gwaugh! Zeld - oof! Agh! Ow!" Sonic went rigid before doubling over as the princess subtly but painfully stepped on his foot, followed by Toon Link, Ness, and Villager each smacking him in turn from a different angle with a different object, causing him to lost balance and fall.

"Ahem...thank you for the help, you three, but I think he got the message the first time," Zelda said lightly, turning to face the three younger Smashers. Turning back to Rock, she added, "If you're still curious, I'll explain when we're in a more secluded setting."

"Give...me...a break...everyone knows already..." Sonic wheezed as he got back to his feet, but nobody paid him any mind.

"Come on guys!" Pit called as he and Link left the ticket window, gesturing for their group to move to the side.

"Hey, can't you see the line's moving?" A child shouted at Lucina, breaking her out of her embarrassed stupor.

"O-oh, I'm terribly sorry - "

"Thank you for pointing that out, we'll be going now," Ike told the youngling as he appeared at his friend's side. "Though I would encourage you to be a little more polite towards your elders, young one."

As his arms were each about as thick as the child's torso, the Radiant Hero wasn't surprised when the former adopted a much more submissive stance. "Y-yes sir. I'm sorry."

"There you go. Come, Lucina." He guided her in the direction of the others with a hand on the shoulder. Once they were out of earshot of the crowd waiting in line, he spoke again. "Don't take Sonic too seriously, he likes a laugh but goes way too far for one."

"I figured as much when the others hit him..." Lucina kept here gaze fixated on the floor slightly ahead of her.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" he asked when her mood didn't improve. "Or is something else troubling you as well?"

"Well...they're related..."

"About what you told me earlier?" he guessed, handing her a ticket as he got a pair from Link.

She nodded. "I - How am I supposed to improve my social skills if people make a mockery of my inexperience?"

"Come, now, surely you can't set so much store by just one joke - "

"It's not things like what just happened that I'm referencing. Nobody save you wants to have a 'normal' conversation with me, everyone talks differently around me, as though they're speaking to a child."

Ike was about to reply, but, thinking there was more to it, held back on a response.

"You think they're right, don't you?"

"What? Of course not! I simply thought you had more to say."

She sighed. "See? This is why I think others might be correct in branding me a child..."

"Whoa, you never said anything about that until now. It'll make things a lot less complicated to just say it outright the first time."

Lucina buried her face in her hands. "I rest my case."

"You guys coming?" Pit asked, holding the door into their room.

"Give us a minute, Pit." The angel looked startled by the request but complied wordlessly. When Ike was sure nobody else was present, he continued. "I'm sorry if you feel like I dragged you along or made you uncomfortable - "

"It's not you or anyone else, it's me, can't you see that? I - I'm so frustrated by all this, I'm trying my hardest and yet I'm still clueless as ever! I just don't understand...why I c-can't...augh!" She pounded her fist on the wall.

"Hey," he told her soothingly, putting his arms around her shoulders. "What's important is that you let this frustration out; everything will come in time, but if you're too impatient or frustrated to learn the lesson, then you'll only prolong the process."

"I-Ike, wh-what are you doing?" she hissed anxiously. "People might get the wrong idea - !"

"Why do I care what they think? If it makes you feel better, I'd say it's worth it."

"But - " she looked into his reassuring gaze and slowly allowed herself to relax. "You're right; I did need that. Thank you."

He let go of her with a chuckle. "Well that's a relief, to see that my efforts are being appreciated."

"And a relief for me...to see that you care so much," Lucina replied, hoping the low lighting would hide her blush.

"Of course I would; you mean a lot to me, so making you happy makes me happy. Come, the show's about to start."

The two took their seats, but Lucina was more interested in the Radiant Hero's last words to her than the movie as she sat down.

 _"Ike...I hope you know that you mean so much to me as well..."_ She was snapped out of her thoughts by Pit offering her a bag of popcorn, which she politely refused. Fortunately, Shulk took it in her stead, avoiding any commotion.


	8. Discord

**Author's Note: Much-belated, I know. I'm sorry, everyone, but I really don't have an excuse for the delay this time around besides end-of-term laziness. :/**

* * *

"So what did you guys think?" Sonic asked as they left the theater a few hours later. "Great movie, huh?"

"I liked it, though I'd prefer if directors didn't shoehorn a love story into _every_ movie they make," Rock grumbled. "There's more to life and relationships than that; this whole cliche of 'love at first sight' is drastically overused."

"Well, we must remember that films are simply works of fiction," Link chimed in. "They don't align with the real world where it suits them. Sure, it's a cliche, but the fact that most people enjoyed the movie means it was effective, as it was for countless others, hence why it was reused."

"I liked it but the story almost seemed underwhelming," Shulk interjected. "I'm not sure why, maybe it's because we did similar things ourselves."

Rock chuckled in response. "Films are meant to inspire the common folk. People like us just don't see it the same way for better or worse."

"Well I thought the story was okay," Ness piped up.

"I never said I didn't like it, just that the story revolves around a hero like ourselves. That changes our perspective on it compared to that of normal people."

"Oh...okay," the psychic child responded before turning to Villager to ask for a simplification.

"Aw, are we heading back now?" Pit asked. "We could always have dinner in town."

"Nah, save it for when you get sick of cafeteria stuff. Not many of us can cook very well or can be bothered to, so special meals are far and few between," Sonic replied. "Besides, once we get a little more coin from some other things, we can afford to spend more. At the moment, I'd rather save up what I have for a Trophy Rush game."

"I don't understand why Master Hand thinks that grinding for coins is fun," Pit complained in response.

"You're hardly working for them at all here, most people have to work forty hours or more a week to earn anything," Rock observed. "Seems more than fair to me as it is."

Lucina, meanwhile, was lost on her own train of thought, ignorant of the bickering.

 _"The boy in the film...his behavior is strikingly similar to Ike's towards me...could it be...? Is he...in love with me?"_ Lucina felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought.

But just as quickly as she entertained the fantasy, she banished it from her mind. _"I don't have time to be distracted like that. Even if my world is safe now, I can't allow anything to drag me down when the conflict inevitably resumes."_

Yet some part of her wouldn't accept that. _"Ike can fight too. And he cares for you. You saw how that movie went: the girl talked first because the boy was too shy and preoccupied with everything else. If he is in a similar circumstance, would you so coldly deny him any chance?"_

 _"It must be done for the greater good; I can't afford distractions."_

 _"Oh? Well then, who benefits if you ignore him? Ike is more than capable of fighting, and his status as a mercenary makes for a good cover story. Gaius fit in perfectly fine, even had a child, among the Shepherds, and he started out no differently."_

The other side of her was rapidly running out of excuses. _"Why should I go to him when I don't love him back?"_

 _"Don't you? Haven't you always been enraptured by tales of the Radiant Hero's exploits? Weren't those the stories you always wanted your friends to help you re-enact? You've been obsessed with him your whole life! And ever since you met him in person, he's been on your mind!"_

 _"Barring the last part, it was the same way with Marth!"_

 _"What does taking Marth's name have to do with anything? You took his name because he is your ancestor. And has Marth been the subject of every wandering thought of yours lately?"_

 _"That doesn't imply anything!"_

 _"Then explain last night! You asked him to hold you, unraveled your emotions and set them at his feet! Not to mention spending several hours thinking about him! When have you opened yourself up to or thought that long about_ anyone _, even among your childhood friends? If those aren't a sign that you're in love with him, then it's indicative of how shallow your attachment to your friends is! But, of course, you care so much about them...when will you stop trying to dodge the matter?_ "

There was no way to refute that. She cared deeply about all of her friends, male and female. They had played, trained, and fought together since childhood, and forged the special kind of bond that only allies in battle could have amongst each other. Yet she'd never let any of them in on her emotions, not when they were so personal as last night. Nor had she ever given any sort of romantic contact to them, let alone asked for it; even though Inigo had tried to pressure her into giving him a hug a few times when he was particularly flirtatious, she had always steadfastly refused.

She sighed. _"Then perhaps...I may...have feelings for him...but still, it's too soon to tell if it's love."_

 _"Is it? How do you know for sure? This is the first time in your life something else hasn't taken precedence over matters of the heart. You know nothing on this subject."_

 _"Then I'll talk to someone about it."_

 _"Please, everyone will just laugh at you. Have they done anything else? They only stepped in earlier once Sonic was being loud enough to draw a crowd. Where it doesn't make them look bad, they ignored you, sans Ike."_

"Are you alright, Lucina? You're even quieter than usual," Ike said from beside her, causing the princess to jump slightly at being startled.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just wrapped up in personal thoughts."

"Well, I won't force you divulge anything you're not ready to. If you want to talk about something, just find me." He split off from the group after bidding the others farewell, saying that he had business to attend to.

Lucina watched him go and briefly considered following him, but ultimately ended up following the others inside to the cafeteria.

* * *

The conversation at dinner could more accurately be described as a smattering of discussions. As large as the semicircular booth was, it left them all relatively compacted, though nobody was really concerned about being overheard above the general din. Rock and Zelda were discussing the latter's ability to transform using magic, with Link taking an interest in the conversation but not saying much. Meanwhile Sonic was playing Euchre with Pit and the PSI Children, Shulk observing the game intently. Lucina sat in between the two groups, listening in on both conversations but less than a spectator to both.

Part of it was that she was't terribly interested in either, but she would be lying to herself if she didn't think the prospect of participating was still a little daunting. Not helping in the least was that whenever she opened her mouth Sonic seemed to be there to laugh about it.

Now that they were done eating, the princess had resorted to absentmindedly twirling a lock of hair in her fingers. It had grown a lot more than she'd realized because it had been held in place by her mask's magic, but she was more than used to fighting with it at shoulder length or longer. Still, it would be a pain to take care of: though she seemed to worry little about her appearance, like shopping, it was something that had fallen by the wayside when history took its dark turns in her time. Now though...

"Something on your mind, Lucina?" As the words came a hand came to rest on her shoulder. A startled yelp escaped her at the unexpected contact.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I scared you," Rock said, removing his hand as he remembered she wasn't used to contact of any sort, platonic or otherwise. Link and Zelda's conversation had become one of Hyrulean politics that he wasn't interested in.

"It's alright, thank you for your concern." She resumed her previous behavior, facing slightly away from the android.

After watching her for a little bit, he spoke again. "Pardon me, but you never answered my question. Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine."

Clearly she was reluctant to open up. Understandable, but there wasn't really going to be a better chance to change that than now, with hardly anyone else able to even hear them over the general noise of the cafeteria and even fewer without another conversation to hold their interest. "You know, if you're struggling with something it might help to talk to other people about it." He glanced over at the other side of the table where the Euchre game was still going on. "Especially now that Sonic's not listening in."

She didn't reply immediately but from the way her shoulders dropped a little and the small sigh that he detected, the android realized there was more to this than he'd first thought. His suspicions were confirmed a few moments later when she did speak. "Will you promise not to speak of this to anyone?"

"Of course. I'm not the type to shoot my mouth off about anyone, let alone one of my friends."

She turned to face him, but kept her voice down. "Ever since I was first introduced to this group, I feel like I'm allowed around here...solely for entertainment purposes. Sonic has continually made fun of me, and, well...I was always left out of conversations unless there wasn't anyone else to turn to."

Rock was taken aback by the statement. The fact that the others had shot Sonic down on every occasion apparently didn't change her perception of them. "Er, well, you didn't exactly jump in on any conversations, so we presumed you didn't want to talk."

The princess sighed and twiddled her thumbs, keeping her head down. "It's a vicious circle..."

"Uh, I think I'm missing something here. Do you mind explaining?"

"I - I'd rather not. You'll probably think it's funny or something."

Her statement made him wince. _"Have we really left this bad of an impression on her?"_

"Um...well, I promise to reserve judgement until after you finish your story, for what it's worth to you," Rock promised.

To his surprise, Lucina smiled a little. "If you are as sincere as your tone suggests, that means a great deal to me." The smile vanished as she continued. "Where I come from, there are...other priorities to socializing, so I'm afraid I am no good at holding a conversation among people here, especially since whatever conversations I had tended to be succinct."

He gave her a look of understanding. "Well, that explains a lot. However, I'm afraid the only advice I can offer you is to practice. Though I must say, you're doing just fine so far."

He thought he saw her lips twitch a little at the compliment, but the ghost of a smile was as evanescent as it was unnoticeable, and when she spoke her tone was frustrated. "I'm aware of that, I've been told this before."

"Whoa, whoa, I'm not criticizing you. I know it's daunting to try to talk to new people, but I was being a hundred percent serious when I said you're doing fine. And - " he took a moment to choose his words " - getting over those nerves is the biggest obstacle." Rock reminded himself to avoid using slang or reference modern figures of speech that Lucina was unlikely to understand.

"Well, it's just - "A playing card suddenly zinged past the princess, whipping through her hair before lodging itself in the seam between the booth cushions. "Hey!"

"Oops," Sonic said casually from the other end. "Guess I threw that one a little too hard." Ness and Lucas both wore expressions of astonishment at seeing him flick it laser-straight across the whole table.

"Euchre game's going great, I see," Rock grumbled as he plucked the card out and slid it across the table back where it came from.

"Oh, it is, I just decided to take the opportunity to break up whatever things you two are keeping hush-hush. Wouldn't want Ike seeing this, would we?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucina asked as casually as she could manage.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to make you say anything you don't want to. But I notice a lot; comes with all the traits of being fast, specifically, being observant."

"You are just grasping at threads of nonsense," Lucina replied stiffly.

Sonic chuckled as he dealt the cards out to the PSI children, Shulk, and himself. "Whatever you say, but I'm not the one who stands to lose something, or..." he paused for effect. "...Some _one_."

Lucina stood up, now looking quite annoyed. "That is enough! If you will continue to do nothing but make a mockery of me, then I will be leaving now! Shame on the rest of you for letting this go on!" Her stare swept across everyone present, lingering in particular on Rock for a bit, before she stormed off with an indignant huff.

"Good riddance," Sonic muttered, breaking the awkward silence.

"What was that all about?" Link asked.

The others shrugged and looked at Sonic, but the hedgehog gave nothing away. "What? I'm not going to go spouting stuff about people's personal business," he said when they continued to glare at him. "Secrets are secrets for a reason; just because I pick up on them doesn't make them public domain."

"Perhaps next time they ought to remain wholly that way and not be spoken about at all," Rock snapped. "You heard what Lucina said."

"That I was making fun of her? Her fault for not having a sense of humor - "

"That she thinks all of us are laughing at her expense! You're giving all of us a bad name! I am seeing none of your observation skills being employed here!"

"Come on, are you really going to set so much store by just her judgement?"

"When it lines up with my own, I certainly will!"

"Enough, you two. Calm yourselves." Zelda cut in before either of the two could say anything more. "Sonic is right, Mega Man: you would do well to take the opinion of just one other person a little more lightly. There will inevitably be those that you cannot appease. However, Sonic, that gives you no right to continually tease Lucina like that, especially after she has already made it clear that she does not like it."

"Spoilsport," the hedgehog grumbled. "Those kinds of people are the best kinds to poke fun at."

"And you wonder why people think you act immaturely?" Rock couldn't keep the heavy incredulity out of his sentence.

Keeping her tone even, Zelda addressed the android. "Mega Man, I do not need you to comment. Please calm yourself." Turning back to Sonic, she continued. "I do not know and do not desire to know why you find entertainment in making fun of others, but surely you understand that a line should be drawn somewhere? And hasn't Lucina made it clear to you where that line should be drawn?"

Sonic just shrugged, so the Hylian princess went on. "If you are even half as observant as you claim to be, you would have seen by now that she already has difficulty mustering the courage to speak out, and that your teasing isn't helping her overcome it. Far from it; it's likely the greatest reason she continues to be afraid to say anything. If you can't do something to help her be more comfortable with socializing, is it too much to ask of you to not act against those who are?"

"Alright, alright, you make it sound like this matter is life-threatening," he muttered.

"If it's so trivial, then surely there isn't an issue with you making a promise to abide by our request? Or are you just being rude?"

"Er..." Sonic realized too late that he'd backed himself into a corner.

Zelda was staring at the hedgehog intently. "Look me in the eyes, Sonic, and promise sincerely."

"Alright. I'll leave her alone if you guys insist."

"You'd best remember those words," Rock grumbled.

"Then I'll bore him so much with the next lecture that he'll adhere to it." The android looked quizzically at her only to realize that she was dead serious. "What? The strategy worked with Mr. Resetti."

* * *

The instant she walked out, Lucina regretted it. But she couldn't just walk back in, that would make her look foolish or insincere. No, better that they see what they were doing to her.

Yet a part of her mind kept nagging her to return and apologize. Lucina tried to force it away by thinking of something to do, but Crazy Hand hadn't announced what he was planning yet so she couldn't think of anything as she paced the halls of Smash Mansion.

Eventually her wandering took her past the cafeteria. She peeked inside to see if her friends were still there. They were, but she couldn't muster up the courage or indifference to their potential opinions to go back inside. So she ended up loitering awkwardly around the entrance, trying to pass it off as casually waiting for someone.

"Aw, what's wrong, have no friends?" Lucina turned to see it was Wario mocking her.

"My life is none of your business," she replied, stepping away from the wall.

"Oh?" He took a few steps closer. "Did I..." He was suddenly uncomfortably close. "...hit a nerve?"

Despite the fact that he was a bit shorter than her, the fat Italian's sudden approach was unnerving nonetheless. "If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you did not get so close." Lucina gave him a light push to emphasize the point.

"But what if I do mind, hm, princess?" Though she was practically trying to push herself through the wall, there was almost no space between the two. "Then what are you going to do?" He cackled after that statement. Lucina resisted the urge to gag at his horrible breath as it wafted right under her nose.

Ike suddenly stepped out of the cafeteria, in conversation with Marth, Robin, and, to Lucina's horror, Chrom. The Radiant Hero, being the only member of the group facing her direction, immediately caught sight of what was going on. Lucina frantically shook her head, hoping he would get the message. Thankfully he did, but the pause in his dialogue as he assessed the situation had made Robin turn in the direction he was looking.

Immediately Lucina shoved Wario to the ground, hoping to pass her predicament off as...something, anything that wouldn't make it look like she was being bullied by him. The instant he tried to stand she kicked him in the stomach, planting her boot on his chest afterwards to keep him pinned down. "Don't you dare come near me again, you filthy miser. Understood?"

"Wha - " Chrom had turned around at the sound of the blow. "Oh, hello, Lucina. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Father," she replied casually, taking her foot off of Wario, who was still gasping for air. "He knows what awaits him should he try anything now."

"I'm taking this to Master Hand!" he grumbled before turning to leave. "You're not getting away with that, mark my words!"

Ike and Marth rolled their eyes, knowing that the chances of the fat Italian going on a diet were greater than the odds of the deity believing him let alone sympathizing with him. Lucina, however, was without this knowledge.

"That's right, just because I'm not the nicest person around here doesn't give you the right to molest me like that!" He sneered in triumph at the brief expression of panic that flitted across the princess' face before it return to its stoic mask. "We're all equals here, aren't we?"

"I - I'll call your bluff then." Her stutter was returning when she least needed it, much to Lucina's embarrassment.

"Aw, is wittle Wucina scared? Do you need daddy to give you a hug?" Wario now adopted a horrible mock-baby voice that made everyone in the vicinity cringe. "Daddy, the nasty man hurt my feewings!"

Lucina couldn't see it, but Chrom's fists were balled at this insult to both him and his daughter. Robin had positioned himself to be in the best position to restrain his friend if things got out of hand.

Ike stepped forward, slinging Ragnell off his back. "That's enough, Wario. I will not have you insult my friend or her family any more; may the gods help you if you do..."

"Hey, Wario!" Captain Falcon suddenly walked out of the cafeteria, a scowl on his face. "So this is what you were up to when you said you had 'other things' to do, you snake! You still owe me a rematch for earlier today!"

"For what? You killed yourself with your own stupidity!"

"What?! Don't you dare insult my style; unlike you, I have an audience to please!"

The _Fire Emblem_ cast were now the first of a progressively-growing crowd watching the two squabble about their earlier match. Soon words gave way to physical acts, which consisted only of Falcon pushing Wario and the latter's retaliation as Captain Falcon immediately resorted to a Falcon Punch upon being pushed back. The crowd promptly started dispersing upon its use, not wanting to be unnecessarily detained by the Hands over the incident.

Ike took advantage of the sudden chaos to break away from the others. "Well this is quite a commotion you've caused, Lucina." Before she could say anything he quickly put an arm around her shoulders and guided her away so they wouldn't be questioned by Master Hand, at least not immediately.

Once they'd made their way down to the courtyard, he sat down on a bench and beckoned for her to join him, which she did, though she sat with her back to him.

"Alright...so do you mind explaining to me what was going on back there?" The Radiant Hero eventually asked. Lucina didn't respond, though he saw her head dip and she pulled her legs up so that she was hugging her knees. "Lucina - "

"I know what you're going to say, Ike. I should take this as a learning experience."

"No, not at all, I was going to ask if Wario did anything to you!"

"He didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have held back on hitting him."

"Well...you didn't."

"Ike, imagine how angry my father would get with Wario if he saw what you did. I didn't want to get him in trouble with Master Hand for my sake, which is why I did what I did."

"So knocking the breath out of him was necessary, too?"

"I...I had to make it seem like my self-defense was warranted - "

"That's a lame cover-up and both you and I know it." The rebuke shocked her and she turned her head to be met with Radiant Hero's intense stare.

"I - Ike...?" she asked timidly, afraid to meet his eyes.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath before he gently unwrapped her arms from around her knees and guided her to a normal sitting position. "I'm sorry, that was unnecessarily harsh, but I know you better than that, Lucina. I know something's on your mind; you don't have to say what. Whenever you feel comfortable talking to me about whatever's on your mind, just find me." He made to leave.

"Wait!" Lucina grabbed his arm. "Don't go..."

Ike unhesitatingly sat back down. "Alright, then can you answer my question?"

"Well...you know how I sat with the others at dinner?"

"Of course. Was Sonic making fun of you again?" he asked sympathetically.

She nodded. "I - I thought someone would tell him to stop but - "

"You didn't say anything yourself?"

"I did, when nobody else said anything. I just got up and left."

He digested this for a moment. "Well, good for you, but I can't see why you're troubled by it." Off her expression of disbelief, he continued, "What? You handled yourself fine there. Unless there's something you withheld from me I can't see why just leaving was a bad thing. It lets them know that you're not happy with how they're treating you."

"Um...well, I sort of...yelled at them too..." Lucina admitted hesitantly.

"And? If anything, it reinforces the message that you won't stand for being teased like that."

"...But...that's such an awful first impression to make - "

"Having to make a good first impression doesn't mean you submit to intolerable things by any means! It's more dangerous to stay with people you dislike than walk away!"

She sighed. "And here I was thinking I was being extraordinarily rude..."

"Time and place, Lucina. When you want something from people, it's necessary to be submissive, but if you're there of your own free will, it's something else entirely. It's their privilege to have you in their company, and you have the right to take that away if you choose." When she just nodded and said nothing more, Ike decided to press the matter a little bit. "So, how exactly does all of this relate to what happened with Wario?"

"I...didn't want to yell at anyone else if I couldn't help it, which is why I was hoping he would get bored and stop bothering me on his own. I've only got one theory as to why I tried to restrain myself around him though, he's disliked me from day one."

Ike looked surprised. "Well...your patience shows itself in very odd ways. "

Lucina shrugged. "Perhaps it was because I didn't know how he would respond. I can't fathom any other reason why I didn't push him away."

"Either way, I'm sure Master Hand will let that slide. He typically doesn't sympathize with the plights of some of the...er...less popular members of the Smash Brothers."

"Wait, so does that includes me?!" The princess suddenly looked alarmed.

"No, no, of course it doesn't. It's just that there isn't really a blanket term for people like Wario, and I dislike using the term 'villains group' like other people do. Some of them, like Bowser, are truly confusing as to what they are. He'll be competing with his enemies in friendly a go-kart race one week and be trying to kidnap Peach the next."

"I see," she mumbled, looking embarrassed at her outburst.

Ike put a hand on her shoulder. "You had the right idea, standing up to Sonic. He likes to make fun of people but he's above ignoring his friends; he'll honor your request, I'm sure. And the others probably gave him a lecture about it too if you yelled at him."

"I still don't understand why he chose to tease me in the first place."

"He does it for fun. Sonic is...rather shallow-minded when it comes to entertaining himself. If it amuses him, he'll do it until it ceases to. You happened to give him the reaction he was looking for in the theater. It's natural to be caught off-guard like that, but if I may give you some advice on the matter, try to minimize your reaction. The less of a dramatic response you give to people like Sonic, the less likely they are to see you as worth poking fun at. I'm sure you're also aware that people's decisions tend to be more irrational the more emotional they are."

She nodded, looking at her feet. "I was told I can be literal, but I never expected it to be exploited like that."

"Don't stress yourself over it, nothing is worse than trying to change yourself to fit someone else's expectations. You did the perfect thing in that situation, which was to stand up for yourself. There's absolutely no harm in seeing things literally, and I'm sure some of the humor used here will come to you with time. You just need to understand more about the others, then you can more easily tell when they're having a joke."

Lucina unexpectedly smiled and looked at him. "Thank you for all the advice, Ike. I honestly don't know what I would do without it."

"All I'm doing is giving feedback. Seriously. Give yourself some credit, Lucina, you've made a good number of friends in just a couple of weeks."

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day yet happened when she scooted closer and took his hand, still smiling. "Only because I had help from someone."

"Oh?" he asked casually to mask his surprise. "And who might that be?"

The smile vanished. "Perhaps subtlety was best not used there..."

Ike forced the mixture of amusement and exasperation down so as to avoid hurting her feelings. "Lucina, it's just a joke."

The princess slapped a hand to her forehead with a noise of frustration, covering her face with her hands afterwards. _"Why did I take that seriously?"_

"Hey, remember what I said, you're expecting far too much of yourself," Ike told her, standing up and stretching. "We should head inside, it's getting dark."

She nodded. "Then I shall return my room, goodnight, Ike. And...thank you for standing up for me earlier."

"Think nothing of it. Goodnight, Lucina."

When she reached her room the first thing she did was slam the door in frustration. She had her part of the exchange with Ike all thought out, down to each word, but hadn't planned out how to respond to anything he said. Her oversight was showing itself now.

The princess sank into the chair and put her head facedown on the desk, still severely annoyed. _"Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you not perceive that he was making a joke? You can't even get something that simple about him right; you have no right to be obsessing over him!"_

There was a knock at the door. Lucina ignored it. Another knock. Now she was starting to get even more irritated, but still she said nothing as the knocking came both louder and more frequently. When there was finally a pause, she thought they had finally given up, but when the knocking resumed she lost her temper. "Go away! Can't you take a hint, or do I have to make a Do Not Disturb' sign for you?" Remembering that the doors didn't lock, she stood and went for her sword in case that wasn't enough to drive whoever was disturbing her away.

The door opened and Ike poked his head inside. If had any reaction to Lucina with her weapon aimed at him, he didn't show it. "Just so you know, there already is one in the closet. I'll talk to you later since you want to be left alone, but remember what I said." As quickly and quietly as he'd entered he left.

Lucina numbly stared at where he'd disappeared, letting Parallel Falchion slip from her loose grasp and clatter to the floor. She slid to the floor at the foot of her bed and heaved another sigh.

 _"Calm down, remember what Ike said."_ The princess forced herself to relax. _"Forget about it; move on. He'll be back later, you can apologize to him then. Deep breaths, think about something else."_

Easier said than done, but she managed to compose herself after a few moments. Once she had calmed down she reached for her sword and sheathed it, unbuckling the scabbard so her current position was more comfortable but keeping her weapon by her side. The room was comfortable and the blanket she was leaning against was soft...

* * *

 **Plegia Castle**

"Heheheh..." Grima chuckled, switching to another perspective once he'd ascertained that Lucina was asleep. "The things people will do when they think they're unwatched..."

As much as he wished for a hand in this, he hadn't dared do anything. All he'd been doing was conducting some reconnaissance around the mansion, making a rough floor plan for future reference, when he'd seen the princess with Ike and shadowed her for a bit to learn what was going on. It was too risky to attempt anything so close on the heels of his latest mischief.

Now that he had that knowledge though, the possibilities were endless.

There was a knock at the door and he closed the connection before answering it, putting on his hood as he opened the door.

"Sir, King Validar has returned from Ylisse. He requested that you meet with him in the throne room."

"Very well. Tell him that I will be there shortly." The courier bowed reverently and ran back down the corridor as the Fell Dragon started clumsily walking to the throne room.

Validar immediately dismissed his advisers and nobles upon his arrival, all of whom bowed to their hierophant as they passed him on the way out.

"Well?" Grima asked as soon as he was sure the room was empty, gesturing for Validar to follow him to the battlement outside. "What news do you have for me?"

"The negotiations went smoothly. That air-headed woman they call queen hasn't the faintest idea of how to conduct matters of state."

"I presume she agreed to your proposed free trade deal between Plegia, Ylisse, and Regna Ferox?"

"Indeed." Validar was far past questioning his master's foresight.

"Do not mistake her motives in doing so, Validar. She is doing so out of prudence, not naivete. Underestimating the Shepherds already cost you your life once; do not expect me to be so merciful if you commit that error again. This is as beneficial to our enemies as it is to us; do not forget, they are both demanding reparations for the war. If they were truly being generous towards us, they would not have. Even if Chrom is only being so stringent with foreign policy for the sake of maintaining popularity, doesn't that demonstrate competence?"

"Yes." The king's face held no small amount of annoyance at his incorrect estimation, but the Fell Dragon was no longer interested in pursuing the topic.

"Now then, what else?"

"With the embargo lifted, trade is picking up again. The economy as a whole is on the rise; soon we will be prosperous enough to where we can worry about...pruning the tree, so to speak. Per your request, my master, I will give you command of forces in charge of the effort when the time comes."

"Ah, yes. The purification of this country. You should be ready, Validar, because far fewer of your officials pay proper homage to their god than you think."

They continued in silence for a bit. "Master, if may ask, what are you up to in your chambers? Rumors are circulating among even Grimleal clergy that you made have something to hide."

"Tell them that it is none of their business to know. Likewise, it is not yours. If they are truly curious then invite them to ask me in person. I can best answer them that way." The Fell Dragon spotted a soldier leaning against the battlement, fast asleep, and sneered with disgust at the lack of discipline as he pulled a Mire tome from within his robe before casting the magic on the sleeping man. Wisps of dark energy began to gather around him before solidifying into bubbles of an ominous shade of green, and both of them stepped back before they ruptured, the shower of caustic acid dissolving the unfortunate man into a puddle before he could even wake up.

"It appears your royal guards are in need of improvement, I would hardly trust such slackers with a coin let alone my personal security." Without another word Grima turned to head inside again, once more leaving an annoyed Validar behind. The king examined the remains of the soldier for a moment before setting off to find the Captain of the Guard.

* * *

 **Smash Mansion**

Lucina wasn't sure how long it was before Ike knocked on the door, rousing her. Though he knocked, it was merely a formality as he let himself in. "Are you alright, Lucina?"

"Yes, I'm fine now. About earlier - "

Ike gently stopped her. "It was my fault for not being considerate of you. I didn't mention it was me at the door, for one. You bear no responsibility for my mistakes."

"...So...what brought you here?" she asked after a brief silence.

"Well, I noticed this on the ground." He pulled out a half of her butterfly mask from his pocket. "It fell from your pocket, so I assumed you had a reason to hold on to it."

"Yes, I was planning to see if someone in town could either repair or duplicate it before I ran into you."

"To conceal your identity from your father, I presume?"

The cerulean swordswoman nodded. "That was the main reason when I first came here, but there is another. This belonged to a friend of mine; it wouldn't do well for me to return it to him in pieces."

"I see."

"I wonder how I didn't notice this fall out of my pocket?" she mused aloud.

Ike shrugged. "Well, no harm done now that it's been returned, right?"

"I suppose not," Lucina sighed. "Still, I thought I'd have kept better track of it. Either way, it's a reminder that I need to find someone who can repair or replicate this mask, so thank you."

"Perhaps I could help you with that. Do you mind if I take a look at the fragment?"

She handed it over and Ike studied it closely. "Hm...what exactly is this made of?"

"Er...I don't know, exactly. If I had to hazard a guess it would be either bronze or wood, but..." she shrugged helplessly. "I'm afraid I never bothered to answer that question, before or after it broke."

"Not to worry, I'm sure there's a place that can help us identify what it is." Ike pocketed the fragment again.

"...Us...?"

"Yes, I'll be more than willing to help you if you want. I figured that since I know my way around Smashville, it would be more efficient for me to assist in a search for a place that suits your needs."

She nodded in agreement with his assessment. "I think that would be best. When do you want to meet?"

Ike made a noncommittal sound. "Whenever works for you. We don't need to go out of our way to do this; Crazy Hand said he was delaying the start of the next tournament a few days, so we have plenty time. I heard from Marth that some of the others are organizing a Target Blast competition, but we should have plenty of time to practice. It's not for a few days, and I already got in some practice so - "

"I can do this myself if you want to participate," the princess offered quickly. "I wouldn't want to take from your practice time, even if you're more prepare than most."

"The arena will be so crowded that it won't matter. I understand if you don't trust me with something so valuable to you - "

"No no no, it's not that! I won't have myself be a burden to you if - "

He suddenly put his hands on her shoulders, instantly silencing her. She remained instinctively tense at the contact before relaxing, upon which he spoke. "Peace. I've told you already, it's no burden to me to help you out."

It was now the Radiant Hero's turn to be surprised as Lucina hugged him. "Ike...thank you, I don't know what else to say."

"Hearing that is enough." After a moment longer he gently pulled himself away. "I must be going now, if you want to talk to me, I'm three doors down to the left."

He was at the door when she spoke again. "Um...Ike, I think you have a piece of my mask."

He groaned. "Gods, you're right. My apologies - " He was cut off when she extracted the other piece and made her way to his side again. "Are you sure?"

She nodded as she placed it in his palm, on top of the other half. "I have complete faith that you won't misplace either of them."

"Lucina...this isn't necessary - "

"But I want you to know that I trust you. Completely."

"...I..." He took a breath before looking her in the eyes. "I won't give you any reason to think your trust was misplaced."

"Of course you wouldn't." The princess withdrew her hand and Ike promptly pocketed both pieces. "Good night, Ike."

When he'd bidden her farewell and left, Lucina knelt beside her bag and rummaged inside of it until she found a simple cotton pouch. She carefully extracted it and pocketed it, in the same one that had until recently held the pieces of her mask.

Inside were smaller pieces of her mask, most of them decorate with delicate pieces of trim, that had fallen off when it was broken. Despite the ornate appearance, the mask wasn't highly valuable - she would't have worn it so often if it was that expensive - but nevertheless the smaller pieces were just as important to her as the rest. And though she wasn't lying when she said that she trusted Ike wholly with the majority of the mask, the delicate nature of the remaining pieces meant that these were things she didn't trust to anyone but herself.

* * *

The next few days in the mansion had seen an atmosphere change once word of the first Target Blast competition had gotten out. Though Palutena had made the announcement a few days in advance, many of the Smashers were scrambling to practice as often as possible, a goal frustrated by the arena's maximum capacity of two simultaneous users and the number of people who wanted to compete. Master Hand had even volunteered to referee and be commentator for the tournament, along with providing a prize, though he explained his participation was only because Crazy Hand was off planning their next official event.

It really hadn't come as a surprise to many, however, since a number of scuffles over the usage of the Target Blast arena had already resulted in the creator assuming a police role. Among other incidents, Wario managed to get Falcon Punched a total of three more times, and the feud between the two was getting to the point where some Smashers were requesting that both be barred from participation lest either of them try anything underhanded.

Though Master Hand hadn't weighed in on the matter, with the day of the contest upon them, most of the Smashers were more worried about whether they were prepared than the feud. Though Peach and Palutena had set aside one of the arena's two courses for people to sneak in some last-minute practice, that news hadn't done much to alleviate the widespread feeling of unpreparedness.

Not helping was the fact that many of the townsfolk had already taken their own crack at the game already on a digital scale. Nobody wanted the humiliation of being beaten by some stranger who was playing as them; though the so-called "remote contestants" weren't a part of the contest proper, it was an added layer of pressure that had caused some Smashers to drop out. Despite the relatively small competitor's pool, almost everyone, Smashers and Smashville citizens alike, had shown up attendance, though mostly because of the free food.

The added pressure wasn't bothering some people, notably Captain Falcon, who was as unmoved by the higher stakes as an island by a hurricane.

"I forgot how annoying he is," Wario grumbled to Bowser as they watched the F-Zero racer throw punches and kicks, some of them accompanied by pyrotechnic displays as he charged his body with fire. "Makes me regret dropping out of the competition just because he's going to be on about that for the next month."

"Why does matter?" The Koopa King growled in response. "You don't have to compete, and only cravens and narcissists worry about what others think. I gotta say though, it's not like you to pass on gold of any sort."

"Hmph, when it's worth my own skin to, it is." Wario held up a pair of branch cutters. "Stole these from the gardening shed last night; I was supposed to be just ahead of Falcon, but since I forfeited, the bombs meant for me will be given to him instead. Let's see how long he keeps up his trash-talking when they blow up in his face!"

"You really think it's worth getting punished for?" There was something approaching mocking admiration in Bowser's tone when Wario confirmed this by way of silence. "You sure you're not suffering from food poisoning or garlic deprivation?"

"Shut up, I'm not even asking anything of you in this! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to snag some food and get out of here." The fat Italian slunk off, leaving Bowser to lumber towards the spectator stands; he would make a poor father if he didn't watch his kids compete.

* * *

The tournament had proceeded smoothly until Captain Falcon started a practice round of Target Blast just before his turn to play officially.

"What?" he grumbled when approached about the problem. "I'm in the middle of a game here!"

"Falcon, you knew since the start of the event when you would be up," Palutena refuted patiently. "Now you're holding up the entire tournament."

"Come on, can't you just make me swap places with someone?"

"Nobody else wanted to." Peach had joined her co-organizer. "Falcon, we try to be understanding. Do you think we'd approach you about this if there was an alternative way?"

He shrugged as he stretched in preparation for beating up the second bomb in his practice game. "Not my problem. If you really can't find anyone to take my place, I'll be done in a few minutes - "

"I'll go." Ike suddenly emerged from the crowd. "If Falcon isn't feeling up to speed right now, then let him practice. We can trade spots."

"Excellent!" Peach ran off to go make the change on the rankings board while Palutena disappeared back into the crowd, her job done for the time being. Falcon gave the Radiant Hero a nod of thanks before returning to his practice game, while Ike hefted Ragnell and headed for the competitor's platform.

Once the course had been generated, Ike took a minute to analyze it before pummeling the first bomb with quick blows. When the fuse timer reached five seconds, he wound up and slammed it with all his strength. The bomb sailed above the course, falling into a gap before detonating. Another bomb encased in the structure went off too, taking out more targets.

"Not bad," he muttered as he observed the results. The second bomb was larger and the remaining targets were clustered together, so it would be a cinch to get them.

Ike stretched briefly before repeating the routine with the second bomb. As he wound up to launch it, this time aiming at the back wall so it would bounce and go low, he noted that he had four seconds left. All according to plan.

The instant Ragnell's blade touched the bomb, however, it exploded, enveloping the platform in a pillar of fire and smoke.


	9. The Best of Intentions

**Author's Note: Whew, this came out way behind even my most generous expectations. Here I was thinking that working in a job that requires literally no thinking would be good for ideas that I could put into writing when I got home.**

 **Well, the first part worked out. Second? Not at all.**

* * *

A stunned silence filled the stadium.

Then one voice cried out. "Ike!" Lucina broke from the crowd and raced for the competitor's platform before anyone else had even processed that she was moving. She was almost to the top of the small staircase, leaping up the steps three at a time, before Master Hand swooped in and gently but firmly restrained her by pinching two fingers around her legs.

She struggled furiously in response. "Let me go!"

"Patience, Lucina. Your concerns may yet be unwarranted."

She didn't think so, but short of using her weapon to cut his fingers off there was nothing she could do. So the princess was forced to stand there, waiting alongside everyone else with bated breath while the thick brown smoke lazily drifted away and dissipated, oblivious to the all tension.

The crimson glow of a shield suddenly shone through a gap in the cloud of thick brown smoke. Cries of astonishment and sighs of relief quickly changed to applause as the sight of Ike, in a defensive stance but otherwise unharmed, became clearer. The Radiant Hero dropped his shield, giving a wave of acknowledgement and thanks to the spectators, before making to leave the platform.

Master Hand had flown back to the commentator's box to announce a temporary halt, allowing Lucina to meet Ike at the top of the steps.

"Ike...oh Gods, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I managed to perfect-shield it."

"Thank Naga..." She threw her arms around him. "I was so worried you'd been hurt or - or even..." The thought was too revolting to finish.

"Lucina, thank you for your concern, but this isn't the time nor the place." His reply was tense, causing her to let go and back away quickly. Fortunately, neither Chrom or Robin was paying attention at the moment, but several other Smashers had seen what happened. "We don't want anyone to feed your father false rumors."

"Of course."

Just then, Master tapped the microphone with one finger to signal the start of his announcement. "Attention! The tournament will be suspended for a few hours!" Though the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves at this news, he continued on. "Crazy and I will conduct an investigation of what has just happened, and until it is complete, the platforms are to be closed off. Any entry will be considered interfering with the investigation and disciplined as such."

He paused before continuing on, anger palpable in his tone. "If anyone is found to have tampered with the game, there will be severe punishment in store for them. An accident is one thing, but sabotage for the purpose of maiming one of your fellow Smashers is absolutely unacceptable. That is all."

Even before he was done, people started leaving in twos and threes either through the entrance that led back to Smashville or into the mansion itself, discussing things to do during the break. Meanwhile, the hands flew over the top of the stadium and out of sight, heading back to their office.

"Well, that's disappointing," Ike commented as he and Lucina searched for their friends.

"I hope the Hands live up to their warning of severe punishment," she growled, fists clenched. "That could have killed you if you didn't react fast enough."

"Hey, there's no need to be so wound-up over it for my sake." He gently uncurled her right fist, her other hand relaxing on its own once he'd done so. "Just leave it to them; they're fair about it and taking matters into your own hands will only land you in trouble too."

"I didn't - "

"I know you didn't say you had intentions of going after whoever did this, but such anger is the start of a precarious slide. If that announcement wasn't made, and you thought they weren't going to investigate, you might have gone off and done something rash. I don't want that to happen to you, my affairs are not worth losing your standing for."

Before she could respond they stumbled upon the people they were looking for.

"Ah, there they are. Anyways, someone got an idea as to how we can pass the next few hours?" Sonic asked, one arm on a stone pillar.

Lucina raised an eyebrow. " I thought you might have better knowledge of this place than us, seeing as you're a veteran?" Meanwhile Link had moved forward and tapped Ike on the shoulder, signalling to him that they had something private to discuss. The Radiant Hero glanced back apologetically at her before separating, the gesture going unnoticed by Lucina herself.

"I tend to be fickle-minded, hence why I leave the decision-making to others," Sonic was saying.

"No, it's because you still don't know your way around here, or you forgot since last time." The jab had, unexpectedly, come from Mega Man.

"Man, how many times do I have to say that the rest of us don't have life so easy - "

"What would you know of our struggles?" Elec Man stood from behind his brother.

"Are you for real, our freaking worlds first collided and then almost merged and you think I don't know anything? I've fought Wily too, remember!"

Lucina bit her lip as she watched the argument progress, unsure of what to do. She was hoping Link, Zelda, or some other calmer mind might intervene, but no such luck. The others were nowhere to be seen, and Ike had somehow slipped away too without her noticing.

 _"Why am I like this? I would never sit on the sidelines while my friends back home bickered...is it just that I don't feel connected to them? Or is it that I'm still too intimidated to speak - ?"_ A sudden weight pushed her backwards, startling the swordswoman out of her thoughts just in time to keep from falling. Elec Man, though also unharmed from the sudden encounter, was beginning to show danger signs.

"Getting physical is one thing, but harming bystanders is another entirely!" His volt-blue eyes narrowed and darkened until they resembled miniature thunderstorms, and his hands were sizzling with raw energy, straining to be unleashed.

"Wait, there's no need to fight, we should talk this out - !"

"Enough, this is getting out of hand!" Suddenly, Ike was back. As Elec Man seemed most willing to fight the Radiant Hero reached for his arm to restrain him. The Robot Master realized what was about to happen and yanked his arm back, but as he did so his wrist cuff, the only conductive part of his arm, brushed against Ike's hand.

The power that Elec Man had barely held in check surged through its new escape route to the ground with a brilliant flash and a crackle. Ike spasmed violently, twelve thousand volts tearing through his nervous system, and collapsed with wisps of smoke curling from his prone form.

For the second time in minutes Lucina screamed his name and ran to his side in a panic. The blue duo witnessing the scene exchanged looks of despair.

"...That wasn't supposed to happen..." Sonic mumbled.

"No shit, we're screwed. Dammit, it was going almost perfectly until then too."

"This is decidedly the last time I am going to involve myself in any affairs with your girlfriend, Rock Light," Elec Man growled.

"How was I supposed to know that Link's distraction fell short? I might be good at calculating and planning but with variables up in the air my guess is still a guess!"

Sonic sighed. "Well, so much for trying to get Lucina to feel like she's important to us - "

 **"What** **in the name of Iwata is going on here?!"**

"I don't think I've ever heard him that angry, and I was there the moment Ganondorf freed him from Tabuu."

"Shut up and let me do the talking - "

 **"You** **have ten seconds to explain yourselves, both of you!"**

"...I hate my life right now." Mega Man grumbled, and reluctantly began recounting what happened to the Hands, minus the part about how the whole argument was staged and why.

To their temporary relief Master Hand said nothing before turning to the extremely-distraught Lucina, who was desperately shaking her friend's unresponsive form, whimpering something unintelligible. The god pushed her back and began examining Ike, with such swiftness and force that she didn't protest.

"Take him to the infirmary." Crazy Hand obeyed, wordlessly for once. Master Hand's tone was dangerous when he spoke again. "If he dies, consider yourselves evicted." He disappeared without another word, probably returning to his investigation.

"I...er...I suppose I should go see if he'll be okay." Lucina ran off before either Sonic or Mega Man could say anything.

"Well isn't this just a marvelous turn of events," Elec Man grumbled sarcastically.

"That's putting it lightly." Link had arrived, Zelda behind him. Neither was looking pleased. "Sorry about the miscommunication, Ike and I went to help a vendor and he disappeared in the midst of it. I asked Zelda to try finding him instead of going straight to warn you guys."

"Next time, would it hurt too much to leave delegating tasks to me?" she asked lightly, folding her arms.

"Um..." He was met with an intense glare. "No," he added quickly. "In my defense though, I just went along with the plan."

"We both did," Zelda amended. "Something I regret caving to now."

"Either way, he probably stopped helping for a reason. We must've been yelling louder than we thought, can't think of anything else that would divert his attention short of someone else asking him for help," Sonic guessed.

"I suppose we should put any other schemes of this nature on hold then - "

"While you're at it, write me out of them will you, Rock?" Elec Man stalked off at that, in no small part because Master Hand was returning.

"You're not going anywhere," he said simply and the Robot Master zoomed into the hand's grasp as though he were being reeled in.

"Master Hand, please understand - " Link began, but the deity cut him off.

"I appreciate that you want to defend your friends, Link, but I wish to have my word with them first."

"Of course, sir."

"I take it Ike will survive then?" Elec Man grumbled from within the hand's grasp.

"He will, but not by much." He now focused on the blue duo, squeezing the electric robot harder when the latter initially did not take the hint to shut up. "Link had told me that this was part of a plan to help your friend, and for that I will let you off this once. Let me make it clear, however: This is the exception, not the rule."

"Yes sir. What about Elec Man?"

"He's getting his punishment now." Master Hand suddenly passed Elec Man to his brother like a basketball as he spoke. The robot master rebounded slightly off his palm owing to the rubber insulation covering most of his body, but Crazy snapped him back up in one swift motion. The hand sighed with disappointment - he had hoped the robot would bounce higher on his own - and summoned a bounce pad with a flicking motion. A few bounces later and he had settled into a rhythm, despite the poor robot's loud protests.

"Now then, if you don't mind me asking, what caused this...unorthodox means of making friends?" Master Hand asked, slowly turning back to the others.

"Well, it wasn't exactly making friends - " Sonic began, but a look from Rock was enough to remind the hedgehog what the former said earlier.

"We were...trying to help Lucina fit in," he began cautiously. When Master Hand didn't respond he took it as a cue to continue. "She's been...feeling left out recently, as if we don't care about her or that she isn't worth anything to us. So I thought forcing her to break up an argument might be a way to boost her self-esteem a little bit."

Master Hand muttered to himself before responding. "I see. But do please try to find a less-dangerous method of execution. Now if you have no other matters to discuss with me, I will tell Crazy to let your brother go."

"Thank Asimov..." Elec Man groaned between bounces.

"Actually, there was one other matter I meant to bring up - "

"I HATE YOU, ROCK LIGHT!"

"What is it?"

"Well, Sonic told me that the Smashville newspaper wants to interview everyone and goes to some serious lengths to do it at least once for each fighter. Isn't that harassment past a certain point?"

Master Hand chuckled. "Is that what he told you? Well, it might interest you to know that Sonic bothered everyone who didn't want an interview into getting one in the hopes that someone might say something stupider than what was in his." Suddenly a microphone went flying in his direction, courtesy of Crazy Hand. Out of reflex the creator caught it, then looked disappointed with himself for doing so. "Fine, you win, Crazy." He dropped it and turned to leave, shaking from side to side in exasperation. Crazy Hand smacked Elec Man-extra hard against the pad and snatched it away, leaving him to fall to the ground, making no attempt to conceal his good mood at the entire situation. Thankfully, the robot master retained enough of his reflexes to land - messily - on his feet.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Sonic grumbled, as Rock started laughing. "Just completely ignore your very pissed-off brother while he's preparing to fry you."

"He knows he deserves worse by laws of our world." The mirth in his expression and tone was entirely gone. "We'll have a bit of a debate later and that will be the end of it; if he harms now, then me I'm mandated by the Laws to kill him. As angry as he is, he won't forget that." Both androids let the ensuing silence hang before heading into the mansion.

"Seems like we've all got something in our lives to make them miserable," Link muttered. Spoken assent from the others wasn't necessary.

* * *

Ike had barely come around when Lucina barreled through the entrance of the medical ward. Before he could open his mouth to warn her, the poor princess slid on an errant banana peel and landed flat on her back.

"I keep telling Diddy to throw those in the trash," Dr. Mario grumbled as he emerged from his office. "You stay put; doctor's orders," he directed at Ike as the latter stood to help his friend get back up. "Are you alright, Lucina?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. Who left that there?"

The completely-not-a-fake-doctor sighed. "Diddy Kong came in here earlier and left it on the floor - "

"Come off it, Dr. Mario, everyone knows you leave those around as reminders to not run in the medical ward." Ike was now glaring at him. Dr. Mario hastily backed away from Lucina, but to his relief she ignored him entirely and just headed over to the Radiant Hero's side. That was the cue for him to scramble back into his office before the princess changed her mind.

"What did Dr. Mario say? Are you going to be alright?" She asked, panting slightly in an attempt to catch her breath.

He stared incredulously. "You ran all the way here, on a hot day nevertheless, then slipped on a banana peel, causing you to almost do a flip before landing flat on your back, and yet it's _my_ well-being that occupies your mind first? You aren't even mad at Dr. Mario for leaving it out?"

"I'm fine, Ike. I'm wearing my armor, it offers some cushioning."

Clearly she didn't care about the less-than-moral logic behind the trap so he let it drop. Her loss. "There's still the matter of you sprinting here." He gestured at the water cooler near the entrance. "Armor would only make that worse. You should drink something otherwise you'll be dehydrated; I'm still alive and talking, so whatever diagnosis Dr. Mario handed me obviously isn't life-threatening."

Lucina looked like she wanted to press the matter but after a moment she capitulated and obeyed his advice.

"Dr. Mario thinks there won't be lasting harm," he informed her once she returned to the seat by his bedside. "But he wants me to take it easy for the rest of the day. Bed rest for at least a few hours, then noting strenuous until tomorrow."

"A - Alright. That's a relief to hear." She relaxed visibly, her posture adapting a noticeable slouch.

"Now that I've told you how I'm doing, how are _you_? It really won't hurt you to care a little more about yourself, you know."

"A little stressed over the events of the past hour, but it will pass."

Ike nodded. "I see." An awkward silence elapsed until he cleared his throat. "If...you don't mind me asking, is there a particular reason you suddenly care so much about me?"

"Um..." She tensed and lowered her head slightly, though he still distinctly saw her blush. "Well...i - isn't being a close friend reason enough?"

"Of course it is. I was merely curious." There was no way he was believing that alibi, especially after Lucina relaxed again upon dismissal of the matter, but her privacy wasn't his to intrude on. The silence returned.

"I...I should be going now," Lucina mumbled after a while, glancing at a nearby clock. "The tournament will likely resume soon, and I need to find out who sabotaged that bomb - "

"Oh, for Gods' sakes, you're not still on about that, are you?" Ike didn't bother to hide his exasperation. "I warned you already that it's not worth it. I get that you care greatly about me, and I appreciate that - I really do. But there's a difference between caring and being overprotective, I'm fully capable of looking after myself! I'm sure the others would appreciate a little more compassion from you; seeing as you're reserving it all for me, it's no wonder they think you don't care!"

In hindsight, he shouldn't have been surprised, but nonetheless seeing her recoil and pale with a shocked expression at his veiled accusation caught him off-guard. Her mouth remained agape for a little before she suddenly closed it and flushed a deep scarlet, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"I - I'm sorry...i - if y - you want me to stay away, then I'll respect that...thank you for your advice." She hurriedly left the ward without another word.

He stated at the entrance for a few moments before laying back with a groan. _"I'm_ _honestly not sure which of us was more surprised there..."_

* * *

 **Four hours later**

"Good luck," Link bid the Blue Bomber as the latter ascended, finally, for his turn at Target Blast. Sonic gave him a grin and thumbs-up of encouragement. As he took up position, he closed his eyes and focused on tuning out the background noise of the crowd, along with Master Hand's hype speech.

The Target Blast range began forming a course for him, pieces materializing in place with small flashes of light. A few minutes later, it finished. The resulting structure was a series of shells, made up of blocks of various materials, encasing the targets themselves.

A quick scan of it fed the composition of each layer to Mega Man's mechanical mind. The first layer consisted of thick stone blocks cemented together, while the ring closest to the center were made of wood pieces held in place only by the realm's magic. The layers in between were also made of stone, though much less thick than the outer shell and lacking any sort of bonding to keep them together.

 _"If I get the bomb through that first layer, the rest should be easy. That shell's thick enough to cause any blocks knocked loose to bounce around inside until they break or fly out. The problem is going to be penetrating it."_ He let himself stand there and run through various simulations, shutting out everything else. After a minute, he'd figured out where to hit it, and with what force to get the best result.

All that was left was how to achieve it. He had no attack that could launch it at the required angle, even before he considered the problem of putting adequate power behind it to break the structure's outer shell. Launching it into the force field that ringed the platform was an option, but without knowing precisely how the bomb would strike it there was no way to know where it would go.

Most other Smashers, if they'd even managed to be this methodical, would have just taken the chance. But Mega Man had one more advantage that few possessed: his massive strength, courtesy of Super Arm. Throwing the bomb would give it a degree of precision he couldn't guarantee otherwise, and he could put enough force behind it to crack the stone shell with just the impact alone. The blast wave could finish it off, leaving the interior wide open for the second bomb. It was heavier, but he calculated that he wouldn't need to throw it nearly as hard to destroy what was left, regardless of how much damage the first bomb caused.

 _"Well, there's no rule against it..."_ Mega Man strode forwards to the waiting bomb and rapped it with his hand. As he predicted, the impact was enough to start the countdown timer. For the first few seconds, he simply stood there, prompting whispers of confusion.

At eight, his body began to change, switching to a color scheme of mud-brown and white. As this was happening, his right arm suddenly swelled to almost three times its normal size with a flash, and the attached hand became noticeably thicker.

When four seconds were left, the stadium had fallen dead silent, watching with rapt attention as the Blue Bomber hefted the bomb effortlessly. The silence held as he wound up and threw it, giving the impression of throwing it as hard as he could but in actuality not sparing a newton more force than necessary. A sharp crack resonated as the bomb struck its mark, followed a second later by its explosion.

He'd anticipated the impact wiping out half of the targets inside at most. To his surprise, the explosion jostled the upper half of the inner rings loose, and gravity brought them down just as the lower halves, launched by the blast wave, flew in various directions. The result was a cataclysm of debris that shredded everything inside the stone shell as the various fragments collided and went in different directions.

Mega Man allowed himself to relax and remove the filters he'd placed on his senses as the scoreboard numbers scrolled up past the raw score that breaking all targets yielded.

Now he received another surprise as angry mutters reached his audioreceptors.

"You'd think he'd at least destroy everything if he cares so little about the rules."

"Why does he get to cheat because he's not human?"

"What a tryhard, it's like he's trying to stand out..."

"Might as well have killed all the other competitors, wouldn't be any less immoral to a war machine..."

Bracing himself, he started to make his way down. Scores of filthy looks and various expressions of disdain, mockery, and exasperation greeted him, though once again the various townsfolk wiped any trace of disrespect off their face when they saw him looking their way and either scrambled off or made an attempt to look busy.

Deciding that the sooner he shed his armor the better, Mega Man edged his way behind a vendor's cart and made sure no one was looking before de-armoring. The android promptly rejoined the crowd on the other side of his temporary hiding spot, sighing with relief as the crowd did not immediately begin staring at him. The angry mutterings hadn't ceased, however, and now that they didn't know where he was the speakers didn't bother keeping their voices down.

He could have easily tuned the noise out again, but something wouldn't let him. Public opinion was always important to listen to back home regardless of how much he hated it, when they, through their politicians, decided the fate of robotkind. Some habits just didn't die easily.

And it always had to be the bad ones.

"Hey, you missed us." Sonic grabbed his shoulder.

"Yeah?" He grumbled noncommittally. "Tell me something else I don't know."

"You would've plowed straight into Lucina if I didn't stop you. Though I've seen zombies in the worst of B-movies move with more coherence and speed than you, I'm pretty sure she would not like that."

"Since when did you care?"

"Sounds like someone's mood is highly incongruous with that of someone who's just likely claimed first place in the Target Blast tournament."

"Sonic, you're not helping," Link interrupted.

"I've yet to see anyone else say anything, non-constructive or otherwise," Rock growled, turning to leave.

"Rock, you know Sonic's always like that - " Lucina began reproachfully, grasping his arm to stop him. He threw it off irritably and kept walking away.

"That's it, I'm tired of him keeping a lid on things he knows shouldn't keep a lid on." Link had his Clawshot primed.

"Uh...I'm usually okay with some overkill, but do we really think we can talk to a pissed-off Mega Man?" Sonic asked.

"I'll take the chance." The Hero of Hyrule let it fly.

Just before it reached its mark, Pit managed to catch the business end with his face.

Link facepalmed. Sonic, as usual, was soon flat on his back and consumed with laughter. For her part Lucina was torn between horror and amusement, the end result being a rather silly and unbecoming expression for a princess of Ylisse. The crowd, meanwhile, was mostly laughing at Pit as he picked himself up off the ground, his hair parted straight along the middle of his head where one of the claw's prongs had cut some of it off and forcefully parted the rest.

"Oh dear, that look won't do at all," Palutena commented from right next to where her lieutenant had just been, sounding mildly amused.

Pit's groan only served to heighten the spectators' anticipation. The goddess tipped her staff at the angel's head, but instead of fixing his hair she merely summoned a dunce cap to cover it. To add insult to injury it was tilted at a precarious angle so it still left his mangled hair exposed.

 _"Well, it could have been worse,"_ he thought, his hands moving to straighten it. The slight frown on Palutena's face, followed immediately by a mischievous smirk, made him realize he hadn't kept that as private as he'd thought. Given that the crowd was making obscene amounts of noise, she could just as easily have guessed his reaction, but it didn't matter now.

The rim of the hat suddenly expanded and it dropped over his face so it now covered his entire head. When he tried to pull it off it tightened so the rim was just wide enough to allow him to breathe freely. Where the hat couldn't shrink without crushing his head it molded, leaving an imprint of his face on the exterior. Recognizing that this was the time to just let things run their course Pit let his hands fall to his side and braced for whatever would come next.

Palutena let the crowd revel in Pit's predicament for a little bit before deciding to rescue him. Which, of course, constituted whisking him away by activating Power of Flight. The throng soon dispersed after that, the townsfolk chortling and completely forgetting their earlier sourness.

"These people," Rock spat suddenly from Link's side. "They're so disgustingly shallow-minded - what happened to your face?"

"Someone still had grease on their hand when they facepalmed," Sonic explained.

"I've looked worse, believe me," the former insisted. "Now, what were you saying about these townspeople?" The hedgehog took his cue to depart before he got dragged up in the conversation. Not wanting to accidentally eavesdrop on something, Lucina left too.

"They're so shallow-minded it's disgusting. As soon as some spectacle comes along they jump on it like rabid dogs, then jump to the next one without a care for the damage they leave behind."

"You seem particularly annoyed by that fact."

"Yeah, because I still have to put the lives of these crude degenerates ahead of my own given a choice."

"Who said that?"

"It's one of the founding principles of my world. Issac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics take all precedence before any other laws."

"Sounds like racism," Link said sympathetically after a pause. "What do those laws say specifically?"

"First Law says I can't harm a human, period. Second Law says I have to obey every command given to me by a human, no exceptions. Third Law says I have to protect my own existence only if doing so doesn't conflict with either of the others."

A brief pause before Link's indignity exploded. "And you lived with this bull for how long again?" He demanded, outraged.

"It's not important. I shouldn't be bothering you with this anyways."

"You need to stop hiding your own problems while helping others with theirs, that's not how a friendship works. If nothing else I haven't heard how this relates to what just happened. Can't you just ignore what they say?"

"You try kicking the habit when public opinion is a potential harbinger of the next world crisis. Not to mention an indicator of how much work is in the pipeline," he added with a grim chuckle.

"...what?"

"The people have pull in a democracy. If they riot, even the politicians at the top have to bow, or they'll get stampeded alongside everyone in the way. When it comes to a subject reviled at ground level but not at the top, you can imagine why I made it a habit to listen to what people say no matter how bad."

"Look, I said I don't agree with it, can you stop trying to bite my head off?"

The android made a noise between a sigh and a grumble in response but said nothing coherent, prompting Link to continue.

"I get that you have reason to care about what people think in your world. But, if you want my opinion, since this isn't a place where the sentiments of people bitter over a lost bet or their own shitty life can become a tangible threat, treat it as such. Hell, you can literally selectively listen, if anything it's easier for you than the rest of us."

There was no response for a little bit. "It does sound kind of paranoid to be so hung up over that, when you put it that way," Rock finally conceded.

"Can I take that for acceptance of my advice?"

"What brought that on? Sorry if that sounded rude, all of this is so different that I have to ask."

"Is it really that unnatural for a human to display compassion and concern for you?"

"I've heard and seen so many hollow sentiments that it's easier to identify this as 'not discernibly fake' than genuine."

"Aren't they essentially the same?

"One carries the connotation of being anomalous in the wrong way. In essence, it's a more negative way to put it. Of course, that small distinction hardly matters in casual conversation, and really doesn't here. Accurate use of language is just in my nature."

"If you say so. I'm being honest here when I say that there's no ulterior motive to me trying to cheer you up. Physically human or not, you still make a better human than a lot of actual humans. Even if that bar unfortunately isn't set very high sometimes. By the way, since some of us clearly aren't disposed to innately hate you, maybe you could trust us a little more? You just saw what it can do for you."

"Alright, Link, you got me."

"I would have thought you assumed different worlds play by different rules. Or at least you do within them."

Rock shrugged. "The way my AI works is it presumes a response set is appropriate until told otherwise by some stimuli. True proactive thinking can only be done within those limits; I'm not capable of truly independent thought."

Link let the silence hang until he finally asked the question. "So you're not human?"

The android responded with an uncharacteristically harsh laugh. "I do a pretty good impression of one, don't I?"

"Well, where's the difference? Physical composition is a moot point: anyone could have a completely mechanical body, or close to one, if they got enough transplants. There are some crazy people in Smashville who think that's cool."

"Well, I'm much more advanced than your everyday robot, even ones that are seemingly autonomous. Those kinds of robots are either programmed for only one task, or given a specific set of responses to choose from based on data. The conditions for a certain reaction have to be met exactly or within prescription tolerances, otherwise they don't know what to do. Naturally that bars them from any job above grunt work; there's no way the programmers could account for every possibility. That's where Robot Masters like Elec Man and I come in. Our AI is advanced enough to improvise based on both preprogrammed responses and knowledge that we have obtained. But we can't truly think independently either because our algorithms need a starting block, if you will, that had to be put in place by the creator. Since no human is completely objective, we never truly think for ourselves because the groundwork of our AI is the work of someone else, even though we get very close. That inability to start from true ground zero like a human is where we're lacking."

"I see." There really wasn't any other appropriate response, not while he was still digesting all the android had just revealed.

"You two done yet?" Sonic suddenly strode back into their midst, with Pit, free of his dunce cap but still sporting his mangled hair, in tow.

"We are now, that's for sure," Rock grumbled, but his voice had lost its earlier vitriol. "Where'd you find Pit?"

"In his room."

"Uh...that's, from what I heard...secured by Palutena," Link pointed out. "How exactly did you get away with breaking in?"

"I...uh, sort of borrowed Lucina as a decoy...? What, you wanted to make her feel like she was one of us!" He added defensively as a chorus of groans greeted his revelation.

"Sonic, didn't the whole fiasco just now prove that making someone bait is _not_ how we should go about doing that? If you had to have a distraction, why not someone who's on better terms with you, like Zelda?"

"Eheh, well then...maybe I'll get off lighter for things not working out that way - ?"

"The hell you will." A very disheveled Lucina had returned, expression livid.

"Might I be have a moment to convince you that maiming him is not in your best interests, Lucina?" Zelda asked mildly from behind the swordswoman. The latter just nodded, not taking her eyes off Sonic until Zelda tapped her shoulder and signaled for the other princess to follow. One last death glare from over her shoulder went in the Blue Blur's direction, then they'd disappeared back into the crowd.

Pit was the one to break the silence. "So, uh, anyone doing anything once this competition is over?"

* * *

Lucina wasn't sure if she came out of her conversation with the princess of Hyrule feeling better or worse.

The anger at Sonic was long gone, but the talk hadn't done much to alleviate the embarrassment of the enchantment she'd walked straight into, or of knowing that Palutena's unusual - and frankly, slightly alarming - "reprimand" had been overheard by both Pit and his rescuer. The salt in the wound was that the angel himself had asked Palutena to let her go and not report the intrusion to Master Hand. Lucina had felt so humiliated upon realizing they'd heard everything that she ran from them, at least until she decided to track down Sonic and at least yell at him for putting her through that. Which in turn led to Zelda's anger-management talk and more secondhand embarrassment.

Overall, the whole incident only reinforced her perceptions of being the dependent among her friends and seen by others as childish. Briefly spotting Ike as he bought himself some food only worsened what was amounting to a minor inferiority complex when his words from earlier in the day came to mind.

 _"You should apologize to him,"_ she admonished herself, _"...if you want to stay in his good graces. The longer you anger him, the longer you'll have to put off admitting to him."_

Before she'd even settled on a method of approach, her body was in motion, striding through the crowd with more purpose than she'd felt in a while, finally catching up to the Radiant Hero as he rejoined - _"oh no..." -_ the last group Lucina wanted to overhear anything she was about to say, consisting of Marth, Mario, Rosalina, Peach, Robin, Shulk, and Chrom besides Ike himself. The princess stopped dead on her tracks and tried to wrestle down a spike of panic. She had no option but to get it right the first time.

So be it. This wasn't the first time she'd dealt with high stakes. The princess took a deep, calming breath, forced herself to relax and assume a natural posture, then spoke, forcing all her effort into keeping her voice even. "Pardon me, Ike, but I was wondering if you could spare a moment? I was hoping to have a word with you in private." Remembering courtesy she acknowledged her father and Robin immediately following her inquiry.

Completely unperturbed by her sudden arrival, he answered. "Of course. Please excuse me," he muttered to Marth before following her until they were a little ways off. "Alright, what did you need me for that had you so nervous? You were rigid as a board."

So much for assuming a natural posture. Lucina hung her head out of embarrassment at being noticed before replying. "Well, I wanted to apologize for bothering you earlier - "

"Stop right there. Firstly, that was my fault, I snapped at you when all you wanted to do was make sure I was okay. There's no reason for you to apologize when it was I who undeniably wronged you. Secondly, is something else troubling you? You're avoiding my eyes."

Hesitation. "I - I thought I did a better job of hiding it," the reply finally came in a small voice.

Ike chuckled, and moved closer, gripping her shoulders. This time, she didn't stiffen at all. "You're a lot of things, Lucina, but a good liar isn't one of them. I've never met someone else with the same level of honesty as you; it's only natural that concealing something might be more difficult to do as a result."

"Well, anyways, thank you for being so good-natured about it all. It...I felt terrible about possibly being a bother to you."

"I couldn't expect anything less of myself for such a terrible mistake. I'll make it up to you, too."

"Oh no, there's really not a need to - "

"But I _want_ to. Please, allow me the chance to atone. I can't be left indebted to my friends when work is both spontaneous and dangerous. Gods knows when I would remember again or have the opportunity, never mind that the two have to occur in sync."

A shy smile broke across Lucina's face at that. Though it was sincere, she couldn't help but be a little timid about displaying emotions in a public setting. "Very well." She looked back quickly, over her shoulder to see what Chrom was up to, before darting in and giving him a quick hug. "See you later, Ike, and thank you." Another fleeting, shy grin, then the princess of Ylisse disappeared back into the crowd, leaving the Radiant Hero bemused.

 _"Is she always so affectionate in private, or does she think this has progressed beyond friendship?"_ He knew he would be hard-pressed to find any answer. There was nobody else from her time present, and not only would asking Chrom cause the Exalt to likely do something rash, but it was almost certain that he didn't know either.

A reminder that she was still his friend regardless surfaced in his mind, and with it came a plan. _"I suppose I shouldn't automatically think her so naive to believe ours is a romantic relationship. Whatever problems understanding certain nuances she has, Lucina is far more intelligent and rational than that."_

* * *

 **A week later**

The announcement for mandatory assembly after breakfast had come without warning, but it was quite welcome as it could mean only one thing: whatever idea Crazy Hand had conjured was upon them.

Most were simply satisfied with having more to do than play morbid guessing games about what the deity had in mind. Crazy had earned his name, after all.

"Welcome, everyone," he began once his brother had taken roll call. "Seeing as my brother has tested your teamwork in the last tournament, I'll be doing something...a little different, yes."

Sensing that he had everyone's attention, Crazy paused for effect. "I seek to test your strength as individuals. But a simple set of _mono e mono_ matches would be boring, not only to me but to yourselves as well, I am sure. No amount of random matchmaking or items would change that. Not to mention _certain people_ have seen fit to resurrect the infernal idea of tier lists, destroying any remaining point to such a tournament."

"Thus," Master Hand abruptly interrupted, "I reluctantly gave Crazy permission do have complete autonomy in planning this challenge. I am obligated to warn you that though even I have no idea if he bent any elementary rules here, I suspect he did to the point where I was obligated to warn you all in advance."

The other hand let out a maniacal cackle. "Excellent, now that my brother has gotten that out of the way, allow me to explain the challenge! This constitutes a gauntlet of enemies that two of you will run simultaneously. Any enemies you defeat will become yours to summon further on, should you requires assistance, and at the end of your journey, you must defeat the gate guardian to proceed, whereupon you will face the last and final enemy - your ultimate foe!"

Nervous muttering broke out at that, but he plowed on. "Now, as this has a lot of potential to get people hurt, you will have four stocks to sustain you through your run, and standard damage mechanics shall apply, with **one exception**. Any enemies summoned in battle to assist you will bypass the protective charm, so do be careful of what they attack or you may find yourself in over your head. Can't have any of you getting a complete free ride if you encounter the right enemy, can we? Now then, if you return to your rooms, you shall find more information about your designated time and the enemies you will face has been delivered! By the way, it's all the same for everyone, so don't bother trying to steal someone else's. Lastly, do not feel pressured or think you cannot still cooperate, there are no places for this competition. You are merely required to survive to win! The runs begin in - " he glanced at a clock " - just under two days! Chop, chop, you have no time to lose!"

With that he drifted off, no small air of smugness about him, and the Smashers understood themselves dismissed and unable to wrangle anything out of the hand.

"Wonder what he means by 'ultimate foe?'" Rock wondered aloud, asking himself as much as putting the matter up for discussion while they headed back toward the dormitories. For multiple reasons he was hoping that Crazy was not referring to every individual's arch-nemesis. The last thing he needed or wanted to see again was Dr. Wily, and as Bass took his side more often, it made it harder for Rock to accept that he was still his enemy. Even if he'd insisted he never took the side of good for anything but selfish reasons.

"No idea," Link admitted. "But let's hope he doesn't include things from other worlds when considering who we face, because some of the things I've seen needed absurd means to defeat."

"Yeah, I'd hate to have to fight Hades again," Pit interjected.

Lucina, meanwhile, lagged slightly behind her friends but remained within earshot, distracted by trying to keep herself from panicking and doing something stupid. When her friends split off to their respective rooms, she barely acknowledged their departure. Once she'd shut the door it took a considerable amount of self-restraint to avoid tearing into the folder on her desk. Hands trembling slightly in dread, she began to flip through the pages within, carefully scanning each for any further hints as to who Crazy might pick as her "ultimate opponent."

 _"Please don't let my opponent be Grima,"_ she repeated desperately to herself as she continued to read. With each page that didn't yield any clues her anxiety rose a little more. By the time she had read all but the last page, still with no hints, her hands were shaking so much she dropped the entire thing, scattering the papers everywhere.

"Oh, dammit," the princess grumbled at her clumsiness, reaching down to pick them off the floor.

"Need a hand?" A voice asked from the doorway. To her surprise, it wasn't Ike, but a certain robot with blue shoes who had offered assistance.

"Thank you for the offer, Mega Man, but I can manage on my own - aah!" As she'd spoken Lucina had taken a step backwards to readjust her position and stepped on a sheet of paper. Though she knew it was there, she calculated the risk of slipping was low and done so anyways, not knowing that both the printed substance and floor beneath it were much smoother than the parchment and stone she was used to. The leg slipped out from under her and the princess of Ylisse fell flat on her face with a yelp. The folder and its re-gathered contents went back to the ground.

"If you say so," the android commented lightly, moving to help her off the floor anyways. "Are you alright?" he asked in a more serious tone.

"Yes. Considering my mother and father both had a penchant for clumsiness, I guess I should consider myself lucky it only strikes once in a while and never in battle."

He paused for a moment in helping her pick up the papers, looking as though he were thinking about something but in reality debating whether or not to say his question. After all, they'd barely talked and her family was clearly a sensitive matter.

Eventually, he decided to chance it. Lucina would likely move on regardless of her reaction. "...Isn't your father here with you, though?"

Watching her wince at the question almost made him do the same. But just when he thought he'd erred, she relaxed and resumed eye contact. "Yes. I'm more accustomed to referring to my parents i - in p - past t - t - tense..."

Rock wasn't sure what to make of it. One moment her tone had been calm, controlled, and stoic, then suddenly she started stammering like a child on the verge of tears. Before he could inquire further though her voice was back to how it had been before.

"My apologies, the conversation just brought on a rather strong recollection. I assure you, I am alright," she added immediately before placing a sheet of paper inside the folder. "Now, how about we finish collecting these from the floor so you can be on your way?"

He paused before giving the most neutral answer he could think of. "How thoughtful of you."

Her face was hidden, but given that she abruptly paused in her task for a moment, it was rather evident she hadn't expected the compliment.

Rock decided to push a little more. "Hey...uh, about that thing that happened last week..." He trailed off, but as she didn't react he continued. "Just so you know, Sonic was only trying to include you."

"Is being the sacrificial lamb considered included?" The princess replied dully.

"Admittedly it's not the best way to, but we noticed you seemed to think yourself a little out-of-place - " her wince at that did not escape his attention " - so we wanted to help you change that mindset. Sonic just got the first opportunity."

"What a surprise. Oh, pick your jaw up before you swallow a fly, I'm not so literal that I don't understand the concept of sarcasm," she grumbled.

To his credit he recovered before she had to help him with that. "Sorry, it's just that I've never heard it from you so it was unexpected."

"It's still my fault, I have no right to be bitter to either you or Sonic for something neither of you deserve blame for."

"No need to apologize, princess, just don't think you shouldn't belong, okay? We care about you." He handed her the last sheet of paper and turned to leave.

"Thank you for helping me. Oh, Rock? One more thing."

"Hm?" The android paused but didn't turn around.

"Just 'Lucina' is fine."

* * *

 **Author's Note: So far it's been a decent bit of idle scenes and character-building. I promise that they aren't all this story will consist of; we _are_ going somewhere with all of the setup.**


	10. The Ultimate Test

**Author's Note: Oh wow...time flies. College is taking its toll on both of us, but the chief reason for this being so late is that I was too busy watching _Initial D_ to write. I also got more deeply-involved in communities for a few other games, but that's not for here (the information's on my profile if for some reason you want to contact me through those channels).**

 **I promise I'm not dead, but once again I can't guarantee an update schedule.**

* * *

"You're up, Lucina," Master Hand intoned. In another room, she knew, his brother was calling up the Smasher that would run simultaneously with her. The princess quickly took her gloves off and wiped her palms dry again before heading to the entrance, hastily putting them back on as she did so. Crazy Hand's challenge had come far too soon for her to feel prepared, especially given the unknowns he insisted on including.

Word amongst the veterans that their enemies were members of the Subspace Army didn't exactly do much to raise her confidence. Complaints from both her and other newcomers that the returning Smashers had an unfair advantage went ignored; Crazy said he'd already thought about the problem and dealt with it accordingly.

A spike of anxiety caused her to lose her grip on her left glove, and it fell to the floor.

"Afraid of the unknown, are we?" Master Hand asked.

She picked the glove up. "N - no, just nervous."

"Understandable. Though...a word of advice - " he flew closer so he was right next to her. "The sooner you recognize things for what they are, the further down the path to understanding yourself you will be."

"Thank you," she muttered, still preoccupied by what could lay before her.

"What's going on over there, brother? Over." Crazy's voice suddenly came through a walkie-talkie laying on the floor, appropriately sized for Master Hand.

"Nothing, there was just a slight delay. Are you ready on your end?" There was no response.

The elder hand grumbled. "...Over."

"Yes, we are. Let me know when you are, over."

Master Hand saw Lucina had finished putting her glove back on and was standing with her weapon drawn, waiting for the word. "We are now. Start the countdown."

Only what sounded like faint, barely-restrained snickering came in response.

"OVER!" He screamed the word so loudly that some dust fell from the ceiling.

Lucina, for her part, took a moment to calm herself and hope the fact that she'd jumped enough for her feet to leave the ground remained unnoticed. After a few deep breaths, her pulse decelerated from a billion beats a second to the anxious pace it had maintained earlier.

"Alright." Crazy sounded highly amused. "Three...Two...One...Go!" Fortunately, Master Hand maintained enough of his composure to open the entrance to the maze at the right time without breaking the controls in the process. The princess darted in at a fast pace that she knew she could maintain for hours.

"Over." The lone word issued from the gigantic walkie-talkie as soon as the princess had left. "You honestly thought I was going to slip up there, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't, and I don't understand why you insisted on using this stupid communication system or these absurd rules, over."

"Then why are you abiding by my rules?"

"Because you're in charge, as much as I am regretting that now. And you forgot to say 'over,' over."

"I changed my mind. That rule doesn't apply any more."

"And you asked why I don't let you take charge normally."

"You didn't say 'over.'"

"I thought you weren't going to respond unless I did to enforce that rule?"

"What? I'm erratic, not unfair, I'll still give you warning when I re-instate that - " The deity set the device down, overturned it, and pulled out the battery. He'd need it again to coordinate the next start, but at least Crazy wouldn't be able to bug him until then.

* * *

The "maze" had turned out to be just one set of corners and then a long corridor, all of them ceilingless and devoid of enemies. Nevertheless, Lucina kept a hand on her weapon as she jogged towards the door at the end of the hallway.

Just before the entrance, the narrow hallway sprawled into a large courtyard. The princess made it about halfway across when currents of a violet substance began pouring over the walls in several streams. The Shadow Bugs soon gathered into two piles, each ominously emitting copious amounts of indigo smoke, so dark it could have been mistaken for black.

Then, with a flash of dark energy, the masses molded themselves into vaguely human shapes. The individual bugs soon began shifting within their molds, until two dark outlines stood before Lucina. With another dark pulse, color suddenly entered their forms, turning them into dark-tinted mimicries of Zelda and Peach. Lastly, their eyes finally opened, glowing orbs of pure gold that contrasted brilliantly with the muted hues of their bodies.

The fact that these enemies assumed the images of her friends didn't faze Lucina in the slightest. Grima had tried various manipulations of similar degrees. Her blade was out of its sheath and slashing at False Peach in one fluid motion. False Zelda cast a Din's Fire, but the cerulean swordswoman rolled under it and cleared the explosion's radius without a break in pace. False Peach pulled out a Bob-omb from the ground and threw it, only to have it deflected off Parallel Falchion before it could arm. Next came a Mr. Saturn, along with more Din's Fire from False Zelda. Lucina caught, then dropped the creature, and shielded the magical blasts before slashing straight at False Peach's head.

The instant her weapon's blade came met the Shadow Bugs, they began to leave their form, with some of them being destroyed before they could escape. By the time Parallel Falchion had traveled through the area where False Peach's neck was, the imitation had disintegrated completely. If Lucina had paid close attention, she would have noticed the tip and edge of the weapon were trailing a blue aura as the sacred enchantment fought the caustic effects of the Shadow Bugs' remains.

False Zelda didn't last much longer. Lucina threw her weapon upwards, over her foe, before leaping after it and driving the weapon tip-first through the top of the other false character's head, upon which it also dissolved.

 _"That can't be all...that was far too easy to be any test."_ Sure enough, the Shadow Bugs had regrouped and were forming two different characters.

 _"Arm cannons...curved armor plates...and high-tech weapons - Samus."_ Lucina rolled under a pair of missiles from one and shielded a Charge Shot from the other. The two false Power Suits broke in opposite directions when she approached, though their speed was below even that of Samus piloting the suit; not close to a match for her blinding speed. Doing a short leap to close the distance faster, she brought her weapon down in an overhead swing and cleaved one in half.

A blast from behind knocked her down. Shards of metal from the exploding missile lodged themselves in her leather armor, though none penetrated the layer of fine chainmail interwoven between the plates. The source of the projectile was standing out in the open, charging a blast. The swordswoman raised her weapon over her shoulder and hurled it.

Though the blade wasn't designed to be thrown, it was balanced enough that it flew straight and true. Lucina had discovered the technique could be essential in saving someone's life during battle, and her weapon's suitability had led to her practice using it in such a manner routinely. The spinning sword impaled the False Samus in the visor, falling straight to the ground as the Shadow Bugs within scattered.

A thud from behind her confirmed that the battle still wasn't over. The Shadow Bugs from the first false character had regrouped and evidently joined up with reinforcements, as a fake Bowser was now looming over her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the others reforming too, with more streaming over the wall to join them. She gathered her weapon from the ground and turned to face the latest incarnation of this amorphous foe.

* * *

"She handled the first effigies quite well," Link commented as he and his friends watched Lucina progress through the maze. They'd already completed the challenge themselves, and thus were allowed back into the mansion where they could watch the remainder of the event on screens in one of the lounges. "Even knowing they were fake, I still hesitated the first time I ran into them."

"Or maybe she doesn't care enough about them for it to faze her," Rock suggested darkly.

Sonic sat up instantly. "Come on, man, how can you say that?"

"Peach doesn't hang out with us, and Zelda's last interaction with her was an anger-management lecture that I'm quite convinced she didn't need. If anyone, it's Ike she cares about..." They glanced at each other, then back at the screen, before deciding to let the silence continue as they watched giant False Diddy Kong form from the remains of the two False Bowsers.

For the one running through the maze simultaneously was none other than the Radiant Hero himself.

* * *

Lucina sighed with relief as the Shadow Bugs scattered and didn't seem to be reforming. Allowing herself a break to recover, she made her way to the exit door, only to find it locked.

A series of bleeps came from behind her. Mr. Game & Watch, or some rendition of him, stood in the middle of the room, the key to the door in his hand. He made another string of noises and assumed a more aggressive position. Though the princess couldn't understand anything directly, the message was clear: to pass, she'd have to defeat him.

The two-dimensional character slid right under her first slash, and she barely brought Parallel Falchion around in time to block a retaliatory hammer swing. Pivoting as she held the two weapons in a lock, Lucina used her height advantage to gain better leverage. Mr. Game & Watch allowed himself to be pressed close to the ground before pivoting himself and sliding left under his hammer. His move caused the princess to suddenly lose balance and fall as she'd been putting her weight on the lock.

Years of training suddenly kicked in, and before she had fallen very far the cerulean swordswoman had thrown herself forwards and past her enemy's counterattack, rolling once she hit the ground to gain distance from a counterattack. As she came out of it, she saw her opponent lunging at her, another hammer poised to strike.

After a backflip on her part to regain her footing, she noticed he was wielding his weapon in one hand and had a flag in the other. A slash at him did nothing to check his headlong rush as he kept himself pointed directly at her, all but impossible to see let alone hit. She brought her weapon around, ready to parry the strike when it came.

At the last moment, Mr. Game & Watch turned sideways just enough for her to see the number. Lucina prayed he wouldn't raise a 9; such a blow would have far too much strength behind it to parry, and there was no telling if Crazy Hand had put it on his list of exemptions. It wasn't in normal matches, but it sounded just like him to make the opposite true for that reason just this once. If that was the case, the consequences would be dire; assuming it didn't snap her weapon in half at the hilt, it would shatter her arms.

He raised his flag as the hammer began to swing.

9.

 _"Of course."_ Lucina raised her sword in a block and braced for the crushing impact, involuntarily closing her eyes.

* * *

Rock looked away from the monitor. "Ooh, that's going to hurt. It's a really good thing Crazy Hand didn't actually have anything that could ignore the protective enchantments."

"Have a little more faith in your friends, will you?" Sonic chided after a pause. The screen now showed Mr. Game & Watch being knocked out of the arena at high speed.

"And be disappointed more often if they can't live up to that? No thank you, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised or at least have less reason to devalue my friends."

"What does successfully countering a 9 have anything to do with how you see Lucina as a person?"

"Sonic, leave him alone. He clearly doesn't want to talk about it." Link added before they got any further. "That's Rock's business alone unless he decides otherwise, and you know as well as I that his opinions aren't spontaneous."

They went back to looking at the monitor without another word.

* * *

Past the door that Mr. Game & Watch had guarded, with another barren corridor in between, stood another entrance, though it had no doors and was framed only by a ring of energy. Lucina quickly patted her pocket to assure herself that the Shadow Bug trophy she'd earned by defeating them was still there and stepped through.

The first thing that she noticed when she entered was that there were no visible walls or ceiling, just two dark maws that marked the edges of ground where she stood currently and would likely have to face her next opponent on. A gate, similar in composition to the entrance she'd just emerged from, stood in the distance. The next thing was how strange it was. Though it felt solid enough, it was made of a mesh of translucent patterns, all of various shades ranging from cyan to amethyst, and pulsed dully with some mysterious energy.

Parallel Falchion's eye flashed blue briefly before the light abruptly cut. Not gradually fading out, like it usually did, but all at once. Simultaneously, the ground behind her disappeared, and about half of it between her and the gate did as well. A purple sphere, radiating golden light, rose from the space created by the disappearance of the latter. The air around it began to shimmer, until a translucent, cyan projection of a man surrounded the core, balled up in fetal position but hovering in midair.

When the figure spoke, his voice was deep and grave, commanding respect, yet retained an evanescence to it that made it sound as though the particles of the universe had all been given a voice. "The Hero King's descendant." Tabuu began uncurling himself, and as he did so a set of butterfly wings, with patterns to match those of the ground, emerged from their resting position on his back. Though they were clearly damaged, the wings were still a majestic sight, a fact only highlighted when Tabuu stretched all of his limbs to their maximum length and a wave of cyan energy rippled down his body.

Once he had stretched and settled back into a normal pose, he studied Lucina - who was trying very hard not to gape in awe - again. "It will be interesting to see what impression he has left on you, both in battle and outside of it. Shall we begin?"

Immediately, the supernatural being teleported to the far end of their battle ground and his body was covered by a flash of cyan. In the next moment, a massive energy blade raced across the stage at the princess. She threw herself flat on the ground and Tabuu streaked over her by millimeters. The moment she'd picked herself off the ground, he had already reverted to his normal form. Her first swing made contact with nothing as his image collapsed on itself before materializing behind her. She used her momentum to bring her weapon around, but again Tabuu just teleported to dodge it. She briefly considered throwing the blade at him when she next saw him materialize within reach, but unlike before, Tabuu now had an attack lined up.

He thrust one arm forward, and in a blur of motion a golden chain shot from it. A roll to one side prevented it from grabbing her, but Tabuu expertly looped it around for another pass. There was no time to dodge it again; Lucina lashed out at it with her sword in an attempt to break the chain before it could wrap around her.

When they connected, the chain burst into dozens of smaller links that instantly looped around the whole of Parallel Falchion. She only had time to utter a cry of surprise before Tabuu yanked her off her feet and the chain released her sword in exchange for her body.

"Wrong move." His tone was almost apologetic. "A shame to squander such a talented woman, but the extraordinary are the greatest obstacles to uniformity."

 _"Crazy Hand wouldn't dare put anything in that would actually kill us..."_ She repeated the thought in her head as her opponent began to swing the chain around before slamming the end with her wrapped around it into the ground. It was small comfort to her as she struggled painfully back to her feet. Of more concern was the fact that Tabuu had relinquished her only because he wasn't interested in finishing her off that way.

She found out how he was when pain spiked in her abdomen. A gigantic, three-bladed shuriken had torn straight through her armor and was lodged deep in her stomach. Fortunately, the protective enchantment held: there was no blood or need to stuff her organs back inside her. Gritting her teeth, Lucina took hold of the weapon and pulled it out before briefly examining herself. Though her armor very visibly showed damage, her body itself was fine. Pain still radiated from the spot where she'd been hit, but it was fading noticeably. And just as before, the pain had given way to a feeling of tension that she knew came with having high damage percentages in tournament sets. She couldn't see what the number was now, but at least the rules were still in play.

In checking herself, she suddenly realized she'd forgotten about Tabuu. A frantic look around revealed him levitating to her left at some distance, his wings and limbs folded around his body. His head shifted a little so they were making eye contact; even at this distance, Lucina could tell when his gaze focused on her. However, all he did was unfold his wings. The core within him glowed briefly before a massive wall of dull red energy raced at her. She raised her shield instinctively, but did so too early to perfect-shield the attack and the blast shattered it.

Blinding pain slashed through her mind as the protective sphere disintegrated. All she could see was pure white, all she could hear a loud ringing sound. The princess instinctively raised a hand to her head and rubbed her temples in a vain attempt to mitigate the manageable but still painful aftershocks of the shield break, praying Tabuu wouldn't do anything until her senses returned.

A few moments later, and the sensory overload had mostly passed. Tabuu, unfortunately, was in no mood to cooperate. "My condolences," he murmured as he sent out another Off Wave. The blast picked Lucina up and hurled her out of the arena with tremendous force. Still carried by the wave, she soared onward, away from the arena, into the surrounding blackness.

 _"If Smash rules are still in play, then where are the blast lines?" S_ he thought helplessly after tumbling through space for a few more moments. It was then that she realized she was no longer flying, but laying prone on some invisible ground. A glance around showed nothing but pitch black. That changed with a sudden shimmering in the air in front of her that marked Tabuu's entrance. The blackness faded away to reveal she was back in the arena.

By that time, she was back on her feet and lunging at him. It was time to be aggressive; there was no way she would give him a chance to string his attacks together again.

* * *

"For someone that never fought the real deal, she's learning quick," Sonic commented to Link as they watched Lucina perfect-shield each of Tabuu's second onslaught of Off Waves in succession.

"Still doesn't beat experience," Rock observed as he returned from checking on the other screen. "Ike's already almost done."

"She's making a better name for herself against him than you are, and you're not worried?"

"Why should I be? For one, I didn't get combo'd to death by Tabuu, for another, I don't care."

The conversation didn't physically progress any further after that, but the unspoken retort echoed in both Sonic and Link's minds: _"You care about what total strangers think of you, but not your friends?"_

* * *

Lucina couldn't contain her sigh of relief when Tabuu's form finally wavered under one of her slashes and began to flicker violently before collapsing on itself, this time for good.

Suddenly, she was right in front of the gate that the supernatural being had been guarding.

"Congratulations, Lucina," Master Hand said from behind her, causing the princess to jump slightly. "You've triumphed over the Smash Brothers' ultimate enemy, but you have one last obstacle to face. You see, our collective archnemesis did not hold any special significance to you. You are a woman with a very kind heart; unwilling, yes, to open it to others, but doing so entirely once they earn your trust. I know Chrom has instilled within you the notion to always trust those you surround yourself with, but what if they do not deserve it? What shall become of you then? Thus, your ultimate enemy does not need to be powerful, simply manipulative."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"To help you understand your own weaknesses, of course. The ultimate goal of this challenge is to help you improve yourself. Now, if you will follow me, it is time."

"There's no preparation?" The sudden panic in her tone made the deity chuckle.

"I would have thought that, if anything, this challenge so far as taught you that your fears are conjuring up far worse demons than those that truly awaited you." They stopped at a doorway of pure white light. "Please step through. I cannot go in to aid you, so I am afraid this is where we must part."

She glanced at the entrance, then back to where Master Hand was, only to find that he'd already vanished. She briefly wished for his company despite what he'd said before shaking that off.

 _"Just one more obstacle to conquer, and then it will be all over. Relax, Lucina. Master Hand is right; don't let your fears get to you."_ The princess took a calming breath and stepped through the entrance.

She found herself on a stage she recognized as Final Destination. But that wasn't what surprised her. What surprised her was who stood before her.

"I - Ike?!"

* * *

Ike was beginning to grow impatient. Crazy Hand had said there were difficulties with handling his final opponent but been no more specific.

Now, it had been almost ten minutes with no word from anyone. And it wasn't exactly like Final Destination had anything to do; the view was stuff he'd seen already, mesmerizing the first few times one looked but boring afterwards. It had to be otherwise the images might be enough of a distraction to unbalance the playing field, but that knowledge didn't help at all.

 _"If they want me to fight my own boredom, they could have just said so,"_ he grumbled to himself. Suddenly a with a crackle of energy, a portal opened up. The Radiant Hero was on his feet in an instant and had yanked Ragnell from the ground in the next.

Out stepped cobalt-haired woman with matching armor. It sported a long gash along the stomach area, but as its wearer didn't appear to be suffering from any injury, he didn't think much more about it. When her eyes met his, her jaw dropped.

"I - Ike?!"

"Lucina." In stark contrast to her voice, his remained cool and professional. "It seems we are to do battle. Be warned: you may be a friend to me elsewhere, but in here, you are just another opponent. You'll get no sympathy from me so long as there remains a battle to be won and more than one of us standing. Are we clear?"

She nodded in reply, keeping her head down.

"Good. It's not fair to either of us if we let our emotions weigh us down." He brandished his arms, lifting his weapon effortlessly in one hand, before settling into a ready stance. "Prepare yourself!"

He wasn't the fastest opponent Lucina had faced, but she knew what he lacked in speed, he made up for with power. Rather than attempt to block his opening attack, she swung her own blade to redirect it. The parry left him open to an attack, but she took the opportunity instead to jump over him, reversing their positions. Falchion remained by her side even though a blow to his back probably could have gone unpunished; the Radiant Hero was now making no attempt to face her.

"Lucina, what did I tell you?" There was palpable annoyance in his voice now.

"Not to hold back," she responded. "And I'm not."

"Then why didn't you strike? That was an opening a new recruit would have seen." There was no response.

This was unacceptable. Ike turned Lucina around. "If it helps you, don't think of me as someone you know."

She glanced at her sword, then shook her head. "You already are somebody to me, I can't change that."

"By not doing so, you're giving off an impression to everyone, including your father, that you harbor feelings for me," he argued.

There was a noticeable reaction as it dawned on her, but she didn't waver. "Then...so be it. Nothing hinges on what happens here anyways, it's just a match."

Ike was losing patience. She was right that nothing depended on the outcome of the match, but wouldn't that just be all the more reason to fight him and get it over with, rather than drag it on? At this point, it was clear nothing positive would be able to change her mind. "Why do you continue to hesitate? I told you not to think of me as a friend."

She looked away. "I can't unsee what I've seen."

He sighed. "You can't keep running away from your problems like this."

Her expression tightened. "Wh - what did you say?"

"Don't you see? Crazy Hand said that our ultimate enemies would await us at the end of this challenge. It's not either of our fighting prowesses that make us deadly to each other, it's who we are. I learned the hard way that you cannot let your emotions weigh you down in combat, and that the most dangerous enemies are the ones that can play with your mind. To succeed against them, you have to face them. As you must face me now. There will be those whose manipulations reach far beyond any sway I may hold over you. You must train and be prepared; that is what we are here for, after all."

"My own past...is a separate matter from this entirely."

"Is it?" Ike suddenly brought Ragnell around in a quick one-handed slash. Lucina stepped away. "I see the same thing both then and now: a common unwillingness to stand and face your problems!" He punctuated the last word with another attack. This time, Parallel Falchion intercepted his weapon and deflected it.

 _"Good, I forced her hand."_

"Huah!" Ike didn't waste a second, using the momentum of the deflection to bring his blade around in a wide arc before slamming it down. Lucina jumped away, but couldn't gain enough distance to alleviate her disadvantaged position. Blow after blow came at her, but she only diverted and dodged, until he'd backed her against the edge of the stage.

"Even now, on the cusp of defeat, you refuse to fight..."

"I'd rather concede defeat than fight you."

"Then walk out of here a coward, loser, and honorless." He shoulder-bashed her off the edge.

The hairs on his neck suddenly stood up as the look in Lucina's eyes shifted at that moment. The hesitation vanished instantly, and in one fluid motion, she grabbed the ledge and pulled both of her legs up so her feet were braced against it. Ike raised his sword to knock her off, and at that moment she kicked off, throwing an assist trophy through his legs as she backflipped and fell beneath the stage. He took a step back to avoid the rising slash he knew she used to recover, pivoting to face the new threat.

Too late. A wave of Shadow Bugs had wrapped around the foot that remained on the ground before he'd turned, and the minute his other foot was back down, they swarmed that one too. A part of the swarm suddenly split and leapt onto his arms, dragging him to the ground face-first before flipping him forcefully around to face Lucina, who landed back on stage at that moment.

"I said I wouldn't fight you. But there alternatives to fighting."

"Fair enough. You have the advantage; do as you will with it."

She nodded and raised the blade. Suddenly, the Shadow Bugs flashed cyan and turned a slightly more vivid shade of purple. One on his arm suddenly broke formation and split in two. In a ripple of motion, the others followed suit, multiplying so fast that it looked like an army advancing up his body. The violet tide spread with alarming speed, leaving his horrified expression visible for just a moment longer than the rest of him before it too was absorbed. The crude casket remains for a few moments before it dissolved, the Shadow Bugs scattering left and right. The False Character that remained jerkily sat up and opened its eyes.

Except there were clearly differences. His armor remained its normal color, while the flesh underneath was not simply a dark-toned version of his skin, but various tones of violet. His hair had similarly changed color, and the eyes were blood red.

Lucina stumbled back in shock, hands over her mouth. _"Wh - what have I done?!"_ She almost screamed as what had formerly been her friend's face chipped off in violet flakes, leaving a dull, stone-grey mask underneath, punctuated by slash marks in several spots that resembled miniature canyons.

The monstrosity before her jerkily dropped its jaw open and spoke in a raspy, echoing voice. When it did, dark purple smoke dribbled from within. "Luuciinaa..."

She backed up, hands covering her face as she wrestled with the full implications of what she had just done. "No...No, no, no, no, this can't be happening..."

* * *

 **Plegia Castle**

"Oh, but it is, princess. And, for once, I'm not even micromanaging it."

Grima watched in satisfaction as now-Risen Ike got to his feet and brought his weapon to bear. Even the sword itself seemed repulsed by its new owner, the golden hue fading from the parts of the blade closest to the hilt when it was grasped.

The latest in his line of mischief-making schemes had been inspired by a set of notes that described the process of manufacturing Shadow Bugs. That process was of little use to the Fell Dragon given that this "Mr. Game & Watch" was apparently a Smasher himself, but some of the side notes made about the creatures dictated means to control them, and, more importantly, their capabilities. He'd had no success with using them outside the Smash realm - not surprising, in hindsight - but to his surprise, regardless of where they were, they readily responded to his commands.

Perhaps it was that, as the most powerful being to be granted powers by Tabuu - according to his mysterious ally's own words - the powers were somehow gravitating to him after their true owner's defeat. Whatever the reason, it had manifested at the perfect opportunity: Crazy Hand had apparently kept some Shadow Bugs locked away in the R&D lab the two used to make new items, and, even better, was planning to use them in an upcoming event.

From there it was just the simple matter of issuing the command to them at the right moment. The creatures could, in large enough numbers and with a proper basis, attain sentience, so once they had infested their victim, all he would need to do was cover up traces of his infiltration and watch the chaos unfold.

It truly amused Grima that, despite all the random factors involved, Lucina of all potential victims was the one to suffer yet again. Unfortunately, the conversion of Ike to a Risen didn't seem to do much other than enhance his already impressive strength. He decided that a little more hands-on involvement to fix that would be in order.

* * *

Lucina rolled under a slash and hastily wiped the tears of guilt from her eyes as she stood. The demon had all of Ike's power, but barely a sizable portion of his speed, and was thus unable to follow up on her lapse.

 _"I turned him into a Risen...Gods, why did I think it was a good idea to use that trophy?"_ Ragnell came swinging at her and she deflected the blow, again refusing to counterattack. _"If I stall long enough, one of the Hands might come and fix this...ouch!"_ Her opponent suddenly lashed out, a quick jab that was relatively weak but struck right at the gash that Tabuu's shuriken had left. With the chainmail and armor punctured already, there was nothing to offer significant resistance.

To her surprise, the wound drew blood. Before she could process the implications of this fact, her opponent's blade came swinging again, this time in a powerful swipe at her legs. The princess reacted a fraction of a second too late and the sword sliced deep into her left leg, ripping through the greaves like paper. She stumbled and another slash at the other leg left it out of commission as well.

Fighting the pain radiating from her lower body, she tried to scoot away from him to buy time, only to find she was already against the edge of the stage. Risen Ike laughed in a tone and manner unbefitting of him and far more suited to his creator as he raised his weapon, aiming the tip straight at her heart. A thin line of blue flames started emitting from the edge of the blade, forming a steadily-growing inverted pillar of fire.

* * *

"Say farewell, princess." Grima brought down his right hand, previously elevated in order to command his minion.

Then, several things happened in quick succession.

His victim blocked at just the right moment to perfect-shield the explosion.

Rather than leave its user unharmed, the Eruption's recoil blasted Ike backwards hard enough to knock him to the other side of the stage. The violent shockwave broke his grip on Ragnell, leaving the sword stuck on Lucina's shield.

Before Grima could order him back to his feet, the corrupted fighter was seized from behind by Crazy Hand. Master Hand simultaneously appeared above Lucina and began tending to her.

"Dammit!" He swiped his hand through the image hovering in front of him in disgust. The tome that had been projecting it, along with a number of other objects, clattered to the ground as the sleeve of his heavy robe dragged them off the table.

Clearly the hands were smarter than they let on, or they wouldn't have been able to surprise him like that.

* * *

"There you go." Master Hand drifted back, having healed the princess. "The strikes didn't hit anything vital, though I would recommend not being too hard on yourself since there was some blood loss."

"Thank you. Why don't you do this for everyone who gets hurt?"

The deity quickly checked on how much progress Crazy Hand was making purging the Shadow Bugs from Ike before responding. "It doesn't replicate the body's healing process, in which the damaged part is rebuilt stronger than before. I can revert it to how it was before it was damaged, but I cannot mimic that growth factor. The whole point of this gathering is to strengthen all of you; I'm sure you can put two and two together from there."

Meanwhile, Crazy Hand had finished extracting the Shadow Bugs, leaving something that looked like a proper False Character mimicry of Ike with a mutilated face, and had begun healing the effects they'd left behind. He suddenly paused in the midst of healing the Radiant Hero when he saw his brother looking at him. Leaving Ike physically repaired but still retaining much of the violet tone to his skin, he scooped up the container of Shadow Bugs and disappeared through a portal he quickly opened up.

"CRAZY! GET BACK HERE!" Master Hand entered a portal of his own to give chase, suddenly leaving Lucina alone again.

A weak cough from Ike brought her instantly to his side.

"...Ugh...Lucina, is that you...?"

"Yes, Ike, it's me. I'm here." She forced her relief back; nobody had said he was fine yet.

He attempted to sit up and winced in pain less than halfway there. "Where...where's my weapon?"

Lucina put a hand on his chest, supporting him with the other, and gently lowered him back down. She took care to not use an ounce more force than absolutely necessary. "Don't be too hard on yourself." Despite lacing the words with concern and sympathy, she was unable to wholly purge the air of a command not to be disobeyed. "I'll get it."

The Radiant Hero watched her do so through a violet haze. When she returned, she set Ragnell down with almost reverent delicateness at his side, then took a step back. They remained that way for a while, the princess of Ylisse making a not-so-subtle show of trying to keep her hands to herself - unintentionally, of course - while Ike teetered on the edge of consciousness.

The awkward tension was broken when Master Hand returned. He wordlessly levitated Ike into the portal he had just emerged from.

"Um...Master Hand? Where are you taking him?"

"The hospital wing, where else?" His reply was short and terse.

"Oh. I was just checking..." The apologetic tone made the hand regard her for a moment.

"If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it's me and Crazy, Lucina. This got way out of hand, even according to him." With that, he close the portal behind him and a beacon appeared at Lucina's feet to send her back.

Immediately upon exiting the stage selection room, the throngs of spectators were asking what happened. Apparently the Hands had cut the camera feeds the instant they realized something went wrong. She kept her head down and ignored them all, not even apologizing when one overenthusiastic spectator ended up in her way and was unceremoniously knocked aside as she pushed through the crowd.

 _"If he doesn't completely recover from this, I'll never forgive myself..."_

* * *

The first thing Ike registered when he could finally focus was a warmth enveloping his right hand. He cracked open his eyes to the sight of Lucina slumped in a chair next to him, evidently asleep, one hand in his. The darkness held only at bay by the medical ward's dim lighting explained virtually everything else he needed to know.

Sighing, the Radiant Hero gently pried her hand loose and sat up a little, noting that he was still very sore as he did so. But, at least he could do it himself.

As soon as they broke contact, Lucina stirred and opened her eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before he finally broke the silence.

"...so, Lucina, do you mind explaining to me why you're still here in the middle of the night?"

She started subtly wringing her hands and looked away. "Well, I couldn't just leave without making sure you were alright, could I? It was my fault, after all."

"Didn't Master Hand himself say otherwise? Crazy Hand should be responsible for even conjuring such a dangerous assist trophy."

"But I still decided to use it...I should have just accepted defeat my defeat, then this wouldn't have happened - "

"Must you insist on blaming yourself? Using that assist trophy was well within the bounds of the rules, and you had no way of knowing how dangerous it actually was. I told myself I wasn't going to use any of mine and simply fight clean, but that was purely a personal choice." Immediately after he'd said that, Ike realized his word choice had only worsened the situation.

Lucina's shoulder slumped and she slid forwards in her chair slightly. "My style is underhanded to you, then?" Normally she would be quite defensive of her techniques, but this time it was resignation instead that filled her voice.

A pause before the Radiant Hero decided to change the subject. "So what made you change your mind?"

"Huh?"

"What made you suddenly decide to use that assist trophy?"

She shifted uncomfortably before finally answering. "I...your words reminded me of past events. That helped me forget my qualms."

He didn't push further. It was obvious the princess was hesitant to admit even that. Ike sighed and lay back down. "I see. Thank you for taking my...advice to heart. I know I came off as harsh to say the least, so please find it in yourself to forgive me."

The biggest surprise of the day came when Lucina suddenly took his hand in hers again with a smile. "It's fine. I know you didn't intend to harm me, at least as much as two combatants a duel can avoid harming each other. Just like I couldn't fully devote myself to fighting you, I felt that you couldn't do the same to me."

 _"Felt? Where did that come from? Is she actually so keenly able to sense her opponents' feelings? No, it couldn't be, she's way too dense outside of combat. Maybe I was just that transparent?"_

The trail of questions was suddenly broken as Lucina spoke again. "I - Ike, I just want to say something now." She was back to wringing her hands and looking unsure of herself.

"What is it?"

She blushed a little and she started fidgeting worse than ever. "Well, I...I...er..." Her cheeks grew redder as she continued to stammer, unable to voice whatever was on her mind. "Sorry..."

The Radiant Hero raised his arm, wincing as the limb protested the action, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I promise I won't judge. Just get it over with and say it to get it off your chest, I promise it will be a whole lot less nerve-wracking."

Lucina raised her gaze to meet his, though not before looking around to make sure nobody else was present, and leaned closer. "I - I th - think...I'm in love with you, Ike." The last part tumbled from her lips all at once.

To avoid possibly hurting her feelings, he kept silent for a moment, scrambling to regain his mental footing. "What...brought this on?"

She wrung her hands, keeping her eyes on them at the same time. "I...I've been struggling with this for a while; I just couldn't find a definitive answer until today. It's been there for a long time, though, since at least the day I got to meet you in person."

He nodded in a "go on" gesture when she stopped and looked at him to see how he was taking it, forcing himself to keep his expression stoic as he did so.

"Even before then, though, I was fascinated by yo - well, all heroes of legend, but you especially." For a moment she wanted to say something more, but stopped herself.

A sigh from him. "Alright...I think I know what's going on." Ike leaned forward and placed his hands on Lucina's shoulders, and for once he didn't speak immediately. "I understand how you must be feeling right now, but don't rush it." The way she looked back hopefully made him look away again to steel his resolve before resuming. "For one, consider who you've taken interest in. I may have been a hero earlier in my life, but now, I'm just a mercenary, doing what he needs to do to get by, and slotting vigilantism in between contracts. I couldn't guarantee your safety, let alone give you the life someone who's fought a lifelong struggle as you have deserves."

He had to force himself not to wince as her expression went from hopeful to confused, then to disbelief, and finally, sadness. _"It's for her own good,"_ he reminded himself. _"Faltering now will just make it harder for her to accept the truth."_

"...S - so what are you saying?"

Ike let go of her and slumped back against the pillows. "I'm saying that, in addition to this all being rather hasty, you deserve better than me for a romantic partner. We've known each other, on a personal level, for just over a month. Don't mistake what I'm saying: I do like you, and it's because I do that I can't make such a commitment. It would be a great insult to you if I were to do so and renege on my word, whether I had the intention to or not." With great effort, he moved himself back to an upright position and took one of her hands in both of his. "Please understand me; I'm doing what will hurt both of us least. You deserve better than me, and you deserve more time to make the choice of who that someone will be than a month. You have plenty of friends who care for you as much as I, and could look after you when I can't. Distance yourself from me a little, spend some time with other people, and in time you may yet find someone who suits you better. If, after all of that, you can still honestly choose me, then I can accept it."

He paused and looked away before resuming eye contact. "But…when it's so soon, I cannot. Please don't take this to be some sort of contest or experiment; the reason I'm saying this is because I want you to be happy, and if you can't be honest to yourself about your feelings, then you're doing not only yourself, but me a disservice. Do you understand?"

"I...I - I understand," she said finally, gently pulling her hand away. "Thank you for being so thoughtful."

"Well, that took you long enough. Now that that's finally settled, I think it's about time you let Ike, and me, have some rest, Lucina." The voice of Dr. Mario came from the entrance to the office, and he sounded irritated.

As she processed the sight of the doctor, Lucina felt only one thing. Betrayal.

 _"He let him listen in on all of this...how can that traitor say he cares about me when he so readily let other people eavesdrop on my confessions?! What a no-good, backstabbing little - "_

Her tempest of thoughts was momentarily pierced when Ike spoke. "Lucina." She looked at him, making no attempt to hide her anger. "I know this is a lot for you to take in, but I hope we can still be friends after this." He extended his hand.

She thought back to when he'd last held her hand, just mere moments ago, but it may as well have been in another reality. The sense of betrayal came roaring back, fueling the tumultuous emotions within the void left by her broken heart.

Ignoring his hand, she turned heel and stormed out of the hospital wing. Only her newfound loathing for the Radiant Hero held back sobs until after the doors had shut behind her; but any passerby would have seen that nothing could hold back her tears.

* * *

 **A/N: I told you we were going somewhere with all of this earlier, didn't I?**


End file.
